Past Meets Present
by letgo
Summary: It was planned to tell him that she was alive. But, unfortunately, the few that knew of her existence died when the colony was destroyed. And so we pick up the story of Chang Wufei and Meiran in their twentyfirst year of life.
1. Default Chapter

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Past Meets Present

Contrary to popular belief, Chang Meiran did not die that day on L5. She was close to death, though. The only place where she could receive the medical attention she needed was on L2. And so Meiran was sent. Her condition was kept from her husband who thought her dead. And on the place he thought her buried, the teen swore to avenge her.

It was planned to tell him that she was alive. But, unfortunately, the few that knew of her existence died when the colony was destroyed. And so we pick up the story of Chang Wufei and Meiran in their twenty-first year of life.

"Oh come on! It's your 21st birthday. You gotta come and get drunk with us!" Duo Maxwell, self proclaimed God of Death, Shinigami, and aged 21 years said to one of his best friends, Heero Yuy. In actuality, Heero, Duo, and one of their other friends, the quiet clown known as Trowa Barton, had no idea when their actual birthday's were. So, forced by Quatre Raberba Winner, they each chose a day, choosing to make their birth year the same as Quatre's. This also made them the same age as the Solitary Dragon, Chang Wufei.

Heero was the youngest of the quintet. At least, that's what his birth date made him. Quatre and Trowa were both nearing their twenty second birthday's, a fact that made Heero wonder what had possessed him to make his day of birth in December. Quatre and Trowa's were both about a month after Heero's. Wufei's was also nearing, his in February. Duo though, his was in the middle of summer. Apparently, he couldn't stand the cold and didn't know what had made the others to make theirs in the winter.

The Perfect Soldier grunted, knowing nothing would stop the God of Death. "Fine, we'll go to wherever you seem to want to go."

Duo grinned, the other three not quite sure as to what they had just heard. Heero Yuy agreeing to go to a bar with Duo Maxwell? It was unheard of!

"Are you feeling well?" Quatre asked. Heero shot the blond Arabian a look that clearly read that yes, he was fine. It was just to shut Duo up.

Quatre nodded and the other two saw the look Heero had given him. It made sense. If they didn't go along with Duo, who knew what trouble he might get into? That was a question none of them wanted to know the answer to.

"Quatre, I know you don't like the cold, but isn't that going a little too far?" Trowa asked when seeing Quatre minutes later. The said man shook his head. Two thick sweaters, a down coat, a wool scarf, and a matching wool hat was just fine. Looking at his other friends, Quatre didn't care that he was the most dressed, the others choosing just to wear coats, maybe a hat or a scarf depending on the person.

Heero rolled his eyes, walking out the door and into the cold. The others followed, choosing to remain quiet with the exception of Duo. That is until Heero chose to give him a death threat.

"You'd never kill me and you know it," Duo argued.

"I can and will if you do not shut up," growled Heero. Trowa just looked at the two, the argument an old one.

"Please, can we just hurry up and get to this new bar of yours?" Quatre intervened, annoyed. Duo stopped and turned to looked at the blond.

"It's not a bar. In fact, it's actually a pretty nice restaurant. A Chinese one at that," Duo replied, adjusting his hat so it wasn't in his eyes. If he had taken the time to look at his Chinese friend, he might have noticed the man's eyebrows raise in interest.

Duo's eyes glinted as he added, "The girls will be there, too."

He meant, as everyone knew, Relena Peacecraft, Heero's once stalker who had turned out to be a nice person once she stopped stalking him, Hilde Schbeiker, whom had become very close to the guys, Catherine Bloom, the girl that thought of Trowa as her long lost brother, Triton Bloom and very protective of the green-eyed man, and finally, Sally Po, the half Chinese, half American woman who was unsure of how she felt about Wufei.

"Hey, new girl, table of nine for you in section 5!" Someone yelled out in the busy kitchens. The Chinese girl nodded and headed out, forcing a smile onto her face. She had just started working at the place but was adjusting well. It helped that she was of Chinese origin, one of the last survivors of L5 and adapted quickly to wherever she was placed.

"Hello, I am your waitress for the evening," she told the table, looking around at it's occupants. Closest to her was a man with short, somewhat spiky blond hair. Looking at him, she realized he was Quatre Winner, head of the Winner family. Next to him sat a tall, brown haired man with one large band that covered his a large portion of his face. A blond haired woman was seated next to him, her hair in curls. She looked somewhat Chinese but was definitely not full-blooded like Meiran herself was. Seated to the right of the woman sat another woman, this one with dark gray hair who was talking about scrap metals with the man seated at the end of the table. His hair was in a long braid, noted Meiran.

On the other side of the table, a woman with curly brown hair with a protective nature sat across from Mr. Winner. She looked somewhat familiar to Meiran. It took her a moment to realize she was on the poster for the circus that was in town. To her left, a silent man with spiky brown hair was drinking his glass of water. He had a dangerous look to him, she decided. On the man's other side, a young, blond woman was seated, talking to the her companion. Meiran knew in an instant that this was the Vice Foreign Minister, Relena Peacecraft. And finally, seated at the end of the table next to the braided man, an unhappy looking Chinese man sat. His hair, quite long for a male's, though definitely not as long as the braided man's, was pulled back in a ponytail.

"Are you ready to order?" Meiran asked the table. She had to smile when the braided man opened his menu and gulped.

"Hey, you can translate this, right?" She heard him ask the Chinese man.

"Are you such an idiot that you booked reservations at a place where you can't even read the menus?" Asked the Chinese man, an amused tone in his voice.

"Hey, I didn't know that the menus were in Chinese!" Maxwell retorted. He looked at his friend, trying to read his face. Meiran was doing the same, liking this guy already. But, he was taking a long time to answer the first man.

"Any day now would be fine." Apparently she wasn't the only one to notice the Chinese man was taking a long time. The Chinese man glared at the woman sitting across from him and turned back to the menu.

Meiran watched in fascination as he said each word slowly, as if the language hadn't been used in a long time. When he was finished, he turned to the man next to him and replied that yes, he could read the menu. Quickly reading off what was on it, the others ordered what they thought sounded best.

Meiran hurried off, taking the orders to the kitchen. Stepping inside, Meiran felt like she was home again back on L5. The kitchen smelt just like her mother's kitchen had.

Soon, she was heading back to the table of nine, pushing a cart because there was so much food to take. Hopefully, she'd be getting a good tip tonight. It wasn't like the group couldn't afford it, well at least two of them. Her face was one big smile as she walked over to her table. Setting the proper food in front of each person, she began to head back into the kitchen. Feeling something on her arm, she turned and saw the braided man.

"What's your name?" He asked, violet eyes sparkling. Meiran looked at him and answered, "Mei."

"Think I could get your number?" He said, giving her puppy dog eyes. Somewhat used to this, Meiran rolled her eyes.

"Maxwell, do you have to hit on every woman?" Twitched the man next to him. The braided man turned to his friend and grinned. "Not every woman, just the pretty ones."

This made Meiran blush. No man had ever called her pretty. Not even her husband. Turning to Maxwell, she replied, "Maybe. Talk to me when you go to leave. Then we'll see."

And with that, she left. She came back occasionally, checking to see if the people needed anything. A few drinks needed refilled but that was about it. Close to an hour later, the group got up to leave.

True to her word, Meiran came back and gave the braided man her number, telling herself he'd probably never call her. When she cleared the table, she was pleasantly surprised to find a large tip.

"Are you sure you should have lead that poor woman on like that?" Hilde asked Duo. The two had become close, like siblings, over the years. It was no small fact between the two that the woman secretly had her eye on the stoic pilot, Heero Yuy. Why? Duo couldn't figure it out for the life of him. And Hilde didn't know the answer, either.

"Nah. I'll call her. She seemed like a nice woman," he replied, yawning. Just then, a pink limo pulled up, drawing Relena away from the group. Hilde called a cab which picked her up a few moments after Relena's limo had left and Sally Po went with her. Trowa walked with Catherine back to where the circus was staying, telling the guys he would be staying with her that night. This left the four men walking back to their home.

They didn't speak on the way there and headed to their separate rooms when they arrived in the medium sized house. Quatre noted as he lay down in his bed that the place felt cold without Trowa there. He turned over, looking at Trowa's empty spot on the bed. Shaking his head, the Arabian flipped over to look at the wall.

Duo couldn't sleep despite his yawning. This annoyed Heero, who shared the room with him. With Prussian blue eyes, he glared at Shinigami one last time before heading to sleep. Across the hall, Wufei was reading a book, hoping it would lull him into slumber.

The next morning, the quartet woke to the smell of something cooking. Heero, being the first up, went down and saw Trowa silently making something. Heading straight to the cup cabinet, Heero noted that the silent pilot was making scrambled eggs. He looked at the other pilot, nodding to him. Trowa returned the motion.

That was the way the two would normally greet each other in the morning, not needing words like a certain other pilot. Who happened to walk in at that exact moment.

"Hey guys," Duo grumbled, making a beeline for the coffee pot Heero was currently using. Giving a 'Hn' to newest addition, Heero surrendered the pot. Trowa turned off the stove, sitting down at the table, eating his eggs. Heero and Duo just drank their coffee. Mornings usually went this way, quiet and peaceful until Duo finished his second cup.

Wufei came down next. He joined them around the table, maintaining the silence. A little while later, Quatre joined them, sleep still clinging to him though if you didn't really know him, you wouldn't be able to know. And the morning passed by pretty silently.

"Hello?" Meiran answered her phone, wondering who would be calling her. She desperately hoped it wasn't Xin Xin's school. That girl could be such a handful at times, thought the mother with a small smile.

"Hey," a familiar voice replied. It was the braided man from the night before. Before she realized it, Meiran had a smile on her face larger than the one before. "Listen," she heard him say. "If you aren't busy, what do you say about going out to get something to eat?"

Not having anything better to do, Meiran agreed. It would give her something to do and her daughter wasn't to come back for another three hours. She didn't have to go to work tonight, it was her night off. The only plans she had for the night was taking her daughter to the circus.

"So, Mei, are you going to the circus that's in town tonight?" Duo asked. Right at the beginning of the meal, he had introduced himself. Meiran nodded, telling him that was her only plan for the evening. "Cool. You'll have to sit with me and my friends. We've got some of the best seats in the house. My buddy Trowa used to be a clown in this particular one and Catherine is the knife thrower." Duo smiled at the Chinese woman in front of him.

She was beaming. "Xin Xin will love that."

"Xin Xin?" Duo asked, curious. He noted that Mei hesitated before answering.

"Yes, my six year old daughter."

"That's even better. I love kids!" Duo told her. He saw her eyes brighten. Taking a guess, he assumed her to be a single mother. Asking her, he found that to be correct.

Hours later, Meiran walked up to the large circus tent. Next to her was a small girl, hair pulled back in pigtails. Duo was standing there, waiting for the two. When they reached him, he squatted down, looking the girl in the eyes.

It was all he could do from making a sound. This little girl had Wufei's eyes.

Introducing himself, he lead them to their seats. The others from the previous night were already seated with the exception of the tall man with the unibang and the curly haired brunette. The show started soon, Trowa performing in the show. The whole thing enraptured both mother and child, giving Duo a chance to look at the young girl.

He could see plenty of Mei in the girl. But there was a lot of someone else in the girl. Someone that looked very similar to Wufei. The child looked kind of like a female version of his friend, in child form. Yes, there was a lot of Mei in the girl, but still.

"Niáng, can I pet a lion?" Quatre heard the little girl ask as the audience was leaving. The Arabian smiled, giving the girl's mother a wink and told the girl, "I think I can arrange that. You see," he went on, "I'm really good friends with the clown that feeds the animals."

Xin Xin's eyes widened and giggled happily. Taking the man's hand, she skipped off with him towards the tall clown with one bang. Mei watched them for a moment, sighing.

"He won't let anything happen to your daughter," she heard a male voice say. Turning around, she saw it was the Chinese man.

Meiran nodded, but told him, "It's just, she has a medical condition. Her blood is too thin. Times like these are rare. I'm afraid my daughter will probably die soon."

She felt tears starting in her eyes. Wiping them away, she apologized. "I'm sorry for being so weak. It's just, I can't bear the thought of losing her. She's all I have."

"No, that's not weak. I might have thought you weak years ago, but I'm different now. I think that you're actual strong for carrying on the burden," he replied. She offered a weak smile to him.

"You know, I never caught your name."

"Wufei," he answered. Meiran's heart skipped a beat and her face must have shown something because he looked at her oddly.

"That was my husband's name," she breathed. Shaking her head, she looked and saw her daughter coming back with, grin plastered on her small face. Her daughter looked like she had had a great time but yawned. Meiran scooped her up, holding the girl close. Taking the bus home, Meiran grew tired from the day's events.

The next morning, Meiran sighed happily. Getting up to go wake her daughter, she found the young girl cold, not even shivering, she was so cold. Almost like a corpse. But, Meiran could see her daughter's chest rising and falling. In an instant, she knew what was happening. Her daughter was starting to die.

Racing to the phone, she called an ambulance. She raced back to her daughter, wrapping the girl up in a blanket, taking her down the stairs, thanking her ancestors her daughter was such a small and light girl. The ambulance was pulling up as she ran outside. Handing her daughter over, Meiran hopped into the vehicle. The medical staff asked her all the questions they normally did and she answered them, holding Xin Xin's hand the whole time.

The staff made her stay in the waiting room but she knew what was going on the other side. They were doing everything they could to save her daughter. But, Meiran didn't have the same blood type as Xin Xin. Her daughter had rare blood that few had.

She looked at her hands as if they held the answers. And noticed Duo's phone number written on her palm. Hope surged through her. Maybe he or one of his friends might have the right type!

"Hello?" She heard a groggy voice answer the phone.

"Is Duo there?" She asked.

"No, he and the others left to see the circus off. Why?" Questioned the voice.

"Oh. Well, maybe you can help me. It's Mei. My daughter's dying."

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A/N: Wow, nice cliff hanger, huh? I like how this is going though. Oh, and the man Meiran's talking to if Wufei. Just a little heads up. But, isn't that a great way to wake up though, to answer the phone and find out a kid's dying.

This is my first Gundam Wing series and it's looking like it's going to be quite serious. I own nothing in the fic but Xin Xin.

Chinese Glossary

Xin Xin- Faith

Niáng- The Chinese word for mother when used by a young child.


	2. Chapter 2

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Past Meets Present

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Wufei heard Mei's words and almost dropped the phone. He hadn't expected to hear that. Not quite knowing why, he told her he would be there in a little bit, leaving a note for his friend's to find. He walked into the hospital and asked for the unit Mei had told him Xin Xin was in. Heading straight for it, he saw Mei sitting in a chair, tears starting to fall.

"Is there anything that can be done to help her?" He asked when he reached the mother. Nodding slowly, she replied, "My daughter has a rare blood type. But her body doesn't provide enough. She has to have someone donate."

"And you're not a match," he stated. She answered him with more tears. He wasn't quite sure if he understood what he was doing, but he offered to let himself be tested. The blood type results were rushed and when they received them, Mei felt more tears, these ones of happiness, running down her face.

"Thank you," she kept telling him. "Thank you."

Not knowing what possessed him, Wufei patted to woman's shoulder as a show that her daughter would be fine. And then, he was lead off and gotten ready for what would happen next.

Looking up when she heard her name called, Mei saw Duo and a few of his friends' walk in. Duo reached her first, asking where Wufei was. Mei answered him and noticed the others held a look of slight shock on their faces.

"Wow, that's really not like him at all," Duo finally said. The other men nodded in agreement.

"He's saving my daughter and that's all I need to know," Mei replied. Close to two hours had passed since Mei called the ambulance by that time. After another half an hour, a doctor walked into the waiting room.

"Is there a Chang Mei here?" He asked. Almost immediately, the woman leapt to the doctor who led her away. She left the room full of men puzzled.

"Did he say Chang?" Duo wondered. Looking at his friends, not quite sure if he heard right. He saw them nodding yes. So it wasn't his ears.

"You think there's a connection between her and Wufei?" Trowa added. Duo shrugged and continued. "You know that little girl looks kind of like him. Definetly has the same eyes as he does."

"Duo, don't go making assumptions before you have all the facts," Heero piped in. "Besides, Chang is probably a very common last name."

"But-" spoke up the American. He stopped, seeing Heero's hand held up. At this point, Quatre, who had been talking to a nurse, hoping to find out any information joined the three.

"The nurse said that Xin Xin has a rare blood type but her body doesn't produce enough to sustain her. But, Wufei's a match. And," Quatre paused; "she should be able to make a full recovery."

The men sighed, though Duo started up again.

"See, Heero. Mei doesn't have the right blood type I bet. But one of a kid's parents will." Duo stuck out his tongue, causing Heero to glare at him.

"What are you talking about?" Quatre asked, confused. Trowa quickly informed him of the brief argument Duo and Heero had had. During the middle of his explanation, the doors opened to reveal a slightly pale Wufei.

Walking with a slight wobble, he made his way over to the chairs and between Heero and Trowa. Before anyone could ask, he told them that he didn't want to be bothered.

"Someone's cranky," commented Duo, playing with the tip of his braid. The Chinese man gave him a glare.

"Is Chang a common name?" Trowa asked the man next to him. "Somewhat, yes," answered Wufei, annoyed.

"See." That was Heero, giving Duo a look. "I told you that it was probably common."

Duo just rolled his eyes. With his stomach growling, he told the men he was heading off to find the cafeteria. Heero, knowing what could happen if Duo was left alone, tagged along to play babysitter.

Trowa sat in silence, reading a magazine while Quatre read another, hoping to keep himself from worrying too much. Wufei, much to the man's annoyance, fell asleep.

Hours later, Xin Xin woke up. Next to her sat the young girl's mother. "Niáng, why am I in a hospital?"

Meiran, who had been borderline awake, snapped her head up and saw her daughter struggling to sit up. "Xin Xin." The woman embraced her child; careful not to pull out any of the wires stuck into her baby.

"Niáng, why am I here?" The girl child repeated. Meiran let go of her daughter and gave her daughter the truth. She had long ago decided to be straightforward with her child. It was easier that way. When Meiran was finished, she looked at her daughter.

"I'm kind of bored," said the girl. That made Meiran smile and she told her daughter she'd be back soon. "I'm not going far," she assured the girl.

The mother left her daughter, walking out to the waiting room. When she opened the doors, she noticed two of the men, one of them Duo had left. Two of the others were reading magazines that they now looked up from while the third, Wufei, was sleeping.

"Well?" Asked the brown haired man. With eyes sparkling, Meiran replied, "She's alive. But, I was wondering if you'd like to visit her in a little bit when she's moved."

"We would love to," the blond haired man, Quatre Winner, accepted for them. Bowing, Meiran left, heading back to her daughter. Xin Xin looked up when her mother came back, not saying a word. She watched as her mother pulled something out of her bag. The young girl's eyes widened with excitement as she realized it was the story of Nataku.

About halfway through it, someone knocked on the door. Both females looked up and saw a nurse. The new woman smiled and told them it was time to move Xin Xin. By the time the young girl was moved, visiting hours were over and Meiran had to leave her daughter.

Back at the medium sized house, the Gundam pilots weren't doing much. More or less just hanging around. Wufei was upstairs, sleeping in his room. It was obvious that he was still not quite over from donating blood on such a spur of the moment type deal.

Heero sat in the living room, polishing his gun collection without saying a word. Duo was on the couch. For any normal person, this would mean you sat down with your feet touching the ground, your back to the couch's back. But then again, Shinigami was by no means normal. His feet lay touching the wall, legs crossed. His back was on the seat and head hanging down. His long braid was stretched out and he was apparently, watching TV.

At the other end of the couch, Trowa sat, reading a new book he had gotten from Catherine. The only one missing from the house was Quatre who was off with who knew where. When the door opened and closed with a loud thud, the others figured it was Quatre who had finally come home.

Indeed it was. After he took off all his winter gear, the Arabian walked into the living room where most of his friend's were gathered. He didn't sit down, instead clearing his throat, making Duo and Trowa look. By this time, Duo had shifted so that his legs lay over the couch's arm and his braid was lying on Trowa's lap. Lifting his head up to look at Quatre, Duo realized that this position would definitely get uncomfortable quick so he changed the way he sat again.

This time, he sat like a normal person, granted his braid was still lying on the clown's lap. Quatre noted this with some displeasure. Trowa was his and his alone. But, he didn't say anything to the American about that. Now, later on, a few words might be spoken.

"Where were you at?" Duo spoke up. Quatre realized he must have taken too long to say what he wanted to. "I was at the hospital, looking up some things about the argument that you and Heero had," the Arabian began.

This got Heero's attention, making him look up from his gun. "Well?" Prompted the Japanese man.

Quatre pulled a file out of his bag. It was no thin file either. Crossing the room to sit down, he removed Duo's braid from Trowa's lap and sat between the two. Quatre set the file down on the table in front of him.

"What's that?" Duo asked, finally sitting right. The Arabian turned to the American, eyes hard and replied, "They're medical records."

"Of?" Trowa questioned; he and Heero missing the look in Quatre's eyes. The blond turned back to Trowa, eyes soft once more and answered, "Well, Wufei's, Xin Xin's, and Mei's."

He opened the file and pulled out a small pile of papers. Sitting them down in front of Trowa, he told them that those were Wufei's. Next, he pulled out a stack about a third larger than the previous one and set it in front of himself. That one, he told them, was Xin Xin's. The last stack was about half the size of Xin Xin's and as he put it in front of Duo, he told them that it was Mei's.

"Sheesh, the kid I can understand having a big stack, but why's Mei's so big?" Duo complained. Not turning to him, Quatre replied that it was a full medical history and that she could have been sick a lot as a child.

"I'm taking the Wu-man's," Duo announced after sizing up the piles. "No, you are not," growled a familiar voice. The four men looked up and saw Wufei standing in the doorway.

"How long have you been standing there?" Duo asked. Looking around the room with a dark expression, Wufei answered with a long enough. Sitting down in one of the chairs, he asked a question.

"Why do you have those medical records?"

Duo and Quatre didn't answer, and neither did Trowa. Instead, it was Heero. "Duo and I were having a disagreement over if you might be Xin Xin's father or not."

Wufei couldn't have been more shocked. Him? A father? No way. Had Meiran lived and he not go off to war, yes, he might be a father by now. It was custom in the Dragon Clan to produce a new heir as soon as possible. But she was dead and he had left his clan years ago. Thus, he had no children and probably wouldn't unless he suddenly fell in love with Sally Po.

"Hey, you all right?" Duo's voice penetrated his thoughts. Scowling, Wufei replied that he was just fine. "Whatever," said the American, beginning to look through the pile of papers he had taken. Noticing the stack he held, he found that he had taken Mei's medical record.

Wufei glanced at his own record for a moment before sighing. "Why are we even doing this? I know I'm not the kid's father."

"Oh really?" Heero asked, his normal monotone voice holding an amused tone. Slitting his eyes, Wufei questioned the man by what he meant. Trowa looked over to see what Heero held. From what Wufei could see of it, it looked like an official document.

Just then, the God of Death let out a low whistle. "Man, Mei's been pretty beat up. Just look at this," Duo commanded, thrusting the paper at Wufei. Scowling, he took it and began to read what it said. Maxwell was right, she had been injured extensively. Adding the math up, he realized she must have been only a month or two pregnant at the time as well. It was a miracle she had even had her daughter.

He handed the paper back to the American, or at least he went to when his eyes caught something.

* * *

A/N: And I'm leaving it there. Evil of me, I know, but hey, I like it. You'll just have to wait until next time to see what it is, though you can guess if you want. And, for those of you who have read Kid and asked for more, I'm sorry, it's a one shot, that's all. I seriously don't think I could add to it without destroying it.

On another note, I now have a Gundam Wing Website up and running. Check out my homepage on my Bio. There's not much there yet, but that'll be changing soon I hope!

I own nothing in this fic but little Xin Xin.


	3. Chapter 3

Right at the top of the page, her full name was stated. Chang Meiran. Looking at Duo, he demanded he hand over the papers. Seeing the look in Wufei's eyes, Duo handed the pile over. Quatre had already threatened him for who knew what reason. No need to get Wufei even more riled up than he already was.

Going through Mei's papers quickly, he found what he was looking for. Her birth certificate. It was written in Chinese but it didn't take him long to translate it. It must have been her original birth certificate though. Because, the name was different. Ron Meiran.

That was his wife's maiden name. It was looking like this Mei was either an imposter or his wife, alive. He wanted it to be the latter. When he thought she had died, he realized how much he had actually come to care for her and now that she was gone, it didn't feel right. But, if she was actually alive?

Skimming the certificate, he found Mei's birth year to be a year after his. That fit with Meiran. She had been a year younger than he had. The girl had barely started bleeding when her family had decided it was time for her to be wed. And, he noted, looking at the thing again, she was born on L5. The exact location was not listed, just like on his own.

Setting the papers down, he leaned back and sighed. Rubbing his temples, he realized he was getting a headache. Giving so much blood and then reading quite a bit without his glasses had done that to him. Wufei got up and went into the bathroom, getting the bottle of Ibuprofen out. He took it with a little water to ease the tablet down. Sighing again, he looked at himself in the mirror, so many questions racing through his mind.

Hearing the door slam, the four men in the living room wondered why Wufei had just left. Joining Heero and Trowa, Quatre saw that they held Xin Xin's birth certificate. Unlike her mother's, it was in English. And listed for father was Chang Wufei.

Meiran yawned, sitting down on her couch. She had just gotten home and was debating whether or not she should just go to sleep or get something to eat. Before she could make up her mind, she heard someone ringing her doorbell.

The young woman yawned again as she made her way over to see who it was. Looking through the peephole, she found that it was the man who saved her daughter. Opening the door, forcing herself to look happy, Meiran greeted him.

"Are you the heir to the Dragon Clan?"

"Are you stalking me?" That was Meiran.

"And are you or are you not, married to Chang Wufei?" After a few moments, Meiran began to speak.

"I have only one question. How the hell do you know that?"

Looking at his face, she realized he had a pleased look on it. And it kind of creped her out. Yet, she also found herself curious as to why he was so pleased. But it still scared her in a way. "Sir, I think it would be best if you left."

She closed the door, only to hear him yell.

"Open the door Nataku!"

Meiran's eyes widened. She hadn't called herself that since her daughter was born. She opened the door wide and looked at him. And he at her.

"How in the world do you know so much about me? I only met you a few days ago," Meiran told him, just standing in her doorway. Putting her hand on her hip, she waited.

He opened his mouth to say something when suddenly Wufei's pager going off interrupted them. Looking at it, he asked her if he could borrow her link.

"Only if you tell me why you know so much afterwards," Meiran made him promise. Showing him where to go, Meiran was told to stay out of the room, thoroughly pissing her off. He walked out moments later; not saying a word other than he had to leave now and would talk to her later.

And so he left as quickly as he came.

"Goddammit!" Meiran yelled after he left, kicking the wall. "Ow." Glaring at it, she went to bed, taking care not to hit her hurt foot.

Wufei stopped by his home, quickly picking up a small bag for times like this when he had a mission at the drop of a hat. Hollering to his friends, he told them that he'd be back in a few days. This didn't shock any of them. The group was used to Wufei needing to leave at any moment to work on an assignment with the Preventors.

Wufei silently made his way to the shuttle docks where Sally would be waiting for him. She didn't tell him much, only that there was a new mission and he needed to pack for a few days, oh, and that the shuttle left in an hour.

Making it there quickly, he found Sally Po waiting for him, a small bag over her shoulder. She didn't say much when he made his way over to her. Following her onto a small private shuttle, he found Lady Une and Lucrezia Noin already seated. He had a bad feeling about this mission already.

After the shuttle took off, Lady Une looked at the group in front of her. "Zechs Merquise will be meeting us on Mars." Wufei didn't need to look to know that this made Noin happy.

"Just what exactly is this mission?" Wufei got straight to the point, feeling a bit cranky. Une looked at him approvingly and replied, "recently, we received word of a growing resistance faction. It already has over 1,000 members, both male and female. Normally, we wouldn't send so many of our top agents in, but I believe that this case is a very high priority."

Wufei couldn't help but feel a small ego boost at Lady's Une's words. She considered him to be one of the Preventor's top agents. He already knew that he was, but still, to hear it from the leader herself, well, that just made it even better.

Une coughed, grabbing his attention once more. "Now, since this group is mostly Chinese, you and Sally Po will be the only ones that will be sent in. Noin and Zechs will be your connection to us and one of you is to report to one of them once a week. Understood?"

Wufei nodded, as did Sally Po. "Good. Now, I suggest you try to get some sleep," Une finished.

Keeping himself from yawning, Wufei did just that. When he woke, he found himself feeling quite a bit better. His body had replaced quite a bit of the blood he had given away by this time. The blood that had saved, he couldn't think it. He was having a hard time believing that he had a daughter. That his wife was still alive. It was almost too much to take in.

Scratch that almost. It was too much.

"Hey," he heard Sally's voice say. He turned to face her. "Is something bothering you?" She asked, concerned.

"No," he lied. She opened her mouth to say something but he stormed off, joining Zechs who was waiting for them.

"Someday, he'll realize that he's in love with you like you are with him," Lucrezia Noin said, putting a hand on Sally's shoulder.

"I know. It's just, he can be so frustrating at times," Sally Po grinned.

Lucrezia waved the air, saying, "don't worry. It took Zechs years to figure out how he felt about me."

Sally caught sight of Noin's small engagement ring her fiancee had bought and smiled. "Men."

The two women looked at each other and laughed as they walked towards the two male agents. As they neared, Millardo Peacecraft, commonly called Zechs Merquise, turned to the short man. "Any idea why they're laughing?"

Wufei shook his head, muttering something about women. If Zechs didn't know better, he would have guessed that the Chinese man had something completely different from the mission on his mind. But, Wufei was one of those people that focused entirely on the mission at hand and nothing else. He had learned that a year before when the two were assigned together on a different mission.

Meiran woke up the next morning in her bed; feeling like a truck had run her over. That or like she had been in an exploding mobile suit. She winced at the memory. She had only been a month pregnant with her daughter and hadn't even known it then.

During her short marriage, Meiran and her husband had only had sex a few times, to satisfy their families. If they went too long without doing so, both would be taken apart and scolded, told that they needed to keep the Dragon line going. And then, that night, the two would do so and then not touch each other until the next time they were forced to. It had been a loveless marriage indeed.

And yet, Meiran had still found herself wishing her husband was there. She had, grudgingly, grown to respect him and after she found her colony destroyed, her husband along with it, she found herself missing his presence. They had been against each other, but when push came to shove, the duo would team up and defeat whoever bothered them. And, it worked against all except their respective Clan heads.

Getting up, she quickly showered and headed off for work. It was a busy day and Meiran never got a chance to call the hospital to check on her daughter.

Exhausted, Meiran made her way up the stairs to her apartment. She could hear a couple arguing. This was normal. The building was one of those that attracted a lot of people with problems. A lot of those were financial ones.

Which reminded Meiran that she was two weeks overdue on rent.

So, she was not surprised to see her landlady standing outside her apartment. Waving, Meiran invited the woman in.

"No, I can't stay long," replied the woman. Meiran sighed. "I'm guessing this isn't a social visit."

"No, it's not," her landlady answered. "Listen, I know you're having problems and that your daughter is in the hospital, but I need your rent by tomorrow or else I have to kick you two out."

Meiran nodded. She knew this in her heart. As the woman went to leave, she turned to Meiran and said, "I'm sorry. But I need to think about my own kids."

The landlady left and Meiran went inside, going to sleep instantly. When she woke the next morning, someone was knocking on her door. She got up and walked to the door, opening it, fully expecting the landlady to be on the other side.

"Miss Mei," she heard a soft male voice say. Her eyes widened. Standing here in her doorway was Quatre Raberba Winner.  
"Come in," she told him, stepping aside in an instant. He obliged, looking around at the small apartment in interest. The place wasn't big. Meiran and her daughter shared a room and bed. A small bathroom was next to the bedroom and the kitchen was also a living room. The place was quite cramped and quite bare. The apartment was furnished, so Meiran had no furniture of her own.

"Would you like a cup of tea? I have only green tea at the moment, though," she offered. He nodded and followed her into the kitchen part of the room.

Sitting down, he watched as she quickly made the tea, pouring it into two small cups that looked much like Wufei's, only with dragons instead of phoenixes. After taking a drink he looked at her and asked a question.

"Yes, of course you can visit Xin Xin, though I'm not sure how long she'll be in the hospital," Meiran told him sorrowfully.

"What do you mean?" Quatre asked, concerned. Meiran sighed, and replied, "We've got almost no money left. Xin Xin's hospitable bills cost so much and I don't even have enough to pay rent."

Quatre looked around the place. Finally, he turned to his hostess and said, "I can help."

* * *

A/N: Yay, I finished another chapter. This story is definitely fun to write, but it's been really hard at times to. But I've written the three chapters so far in about five days. Almost every free moment has been dedicated to writing this and I really enjoy the way it's turning out. I own nothing in this fic except Xin Xin.

But, unfortunatly, everything seems to be going downhill at the moment. I will have the next chapter up by Friday though.


	4. Chapter 4

It was a good thing Meiran wasn't holding her cup at the moment because she would have dropped it. She looked at her guest in shock and asked him if he was kidding.

"No, I am not," he replied after taking another drink.

"Why?" Meiran questioned. He looked at her, setting the cup down. "I don't like to see people hurt especially not children."

"I thank you from the bottommost parts of my heart. The Long clan will be forever in your debt," Meiran bowed to him.

"Long?" He asked, slightly confused. Meiran nodded and explained. "Long means Dragon. I am the clan head with my husband's death and my daughter the heir."

"You were married," Quatre stated slightly shocked.

"Yes, when I was just thirteen and my husband Wufei fourteen. It was an arranged marriage," she told him. Looking at him, she saw his face paler than normal.

"Your husband's name is Wufei," he repeated.

"Was," she corrected. Before either could say a word, Meiran heard someone knocking on her door again. She got up and opened it, finding her landlady on the other side.

"Ms. Chang, I need that money today," she reminded the woman. Meiran hung her head, knowing that she could never pay her long overdue rent.

"Yes, ma'am," she replied. The other woman left quickly, heading across the hall to yell at a couple of new tenants about playing loud music after ten.

"You know my friend Wufei is out of town at the moment. I'm sure it would be fine if you stayed in his room while he's out, you know, just until you can find another place," Quatre spoke up. Chang Meiran turned to face him and asked him why he was helping her out so much.

"I already told you, I don't like to see people hurt," Quatre replied. He finished his tea and asked her how long it would take to pack her and Xin Xin's things.

"Not long, we have only little" admitted the mother. "Then I will wait here, if you do not mind," he told her.

"Not at all."

"Hey, what's with all this stuff?" Duo called out, sprawled on the hallway floor. Propping himself up, he noticed Wufei's door was open. Just then, he saw Mei walk out and pick a few of the things up. "What're you doing in there?" He asked curiously as he watched her.

She stopped and turned to face him. "Mr. Winner told me it would be all right if I were to stay in this room until I can get another apartment. Or until your friend comes back."

"The Wu-man's not gonna be happy about this," he whistled. "Wait a minute, what do you mean until you can find a new apartment?"

Mei, who had just gone back into the room, carrying the last of her stuff, popped her head back out. "I was overdue on my rent and was evicted."

"Major bummer," Duo replied, standing up. When he was on his feet, he added, "I doubt he'll be back soon though, so you may be gone by then." Mei nodded and watched the braided man leave.

Looking around at the room, she found that there were quite a few phoenixes and a few dragons. She was pleased to see both creatures. Born a dragon and after her marriage, she had become a phoenix as well. Mei walked over to the small dresser and found a frame. A dragon was on one side, a phoenix on the other. And inside, on the photo, stared a young Wufei and, and.

The picture and frame crashed to the floor.

"Names?" Asked a tall Chinese man. He stared at Wufei and Sally like his was trying to see into their souls.

"Chang and Po," Wufei answered. The man wrote the two down.

"Given names?" He asked them.

"Wufei."

"Sally." At her name, the man slitted his eyes. "Sally?" He repeated.

"Yes. My father was an American and gave me the name," she explained. That seemed to satisfy him.

"What are your clans?" They were asked.

Wufei answered first. "Fèng-huang and Lóng."

This caught the man's attention. Could this young man really be of those two clans? If so, that put him as the most powerful Chinese man.

"How so?" Asked the man.

"The first by birth, the second by marriage," Wufei answered calmly. "Is there a problem?"

"I need proof," replied the man taking their personal information. Wufei pulled out two rings and showed them to the man.

"Now do you believe me?" Asked Wufei, slightly annoyed. The man nodded, putting down what he had found out. He turned to Sally.

"What clan are you from?" He questioned her.

"I don't know," she admitted, making him and Wufei frown. Wufei turned to his partner.

"Think, don't you remember seeing any large amount of one animal growing up?" The information man asked her.

"Well," she began. "My dad always seem to have monkeys on everything."

"A Hóu-zi, then," Wufei informed her.

"Is that a good thing?" Sally Po asked, unsure. This whole clan thing was new to her and she felt way in over her league.

"It could be worse," was the response she got. The man wrote this new piece of information down and asked them a few more questions before allowing them through. After they passed him, Sally turned to her partner.

"What's the whole clan deal?" She asked him.

"There are fifteen clans. The most powerful is the Lóng clan. Or, as you would know it, the Dragon clan. Following them in power is the Fèng-huang, or Phoenix, clan," he began.

"So, wait, you're said you were from both. So, does that make you the most powerful person of all the clans?" Sally asked him. Wufei shook his head.

"No, there is one that's more powerful than I am. Meiran, just because she's a Dragon by birth," he told Sally.

"Who's she?" Sally asked, curious. Wufei didn't reply. Instead, he began explaining about the clans again.

"After my birth clan, there is the Hè clan, or Crane clan. The Lángs, Wolves, and then the Silver Fox clan, the Yín hú clan, follow them. After that, it goes in the order of the Zodiac. Láo-shu, Yan niú, Hû, Tù-zi, Shé, Mâ, Mián Yáng, Hóu-zi, Gong ji, Gôu, and the Yê zhu clans."

"What do all of those mean?" Sally asked. She didn't know the Chinese Zodiac. Out of all the ones Wufei had just said, she only recognized the monkey one.

He sighed and began to list off the names in English this time. "Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar."

"Isn't the Dragon part of the Zodiac?" She asked. He nodded yes, but explained to her that the Dragon's had been able to worm their way up to the top thousands of years ago. Sally nodded, understanding what he was saying. And then she realized something.

"That's only fourteen clans. What's the last?"

"The last clan is the Mao clan. The Cat of the Zodiac who was left out of the race and thus, became the weakest clan."

"Oh." She walked beside him for awhile as they were lead to their rooms. "What is the story of the Zodiac?"

Wufei stopped and looked at her. "You're kidding me, right? You don't even know the story? It's one of the most important ones that our culture has, if not the most."

Sally shook her head. She really didn't know any of this.

As they walked, Wufei began to tell her the story. "Jade Emperor of the Heavens decided to celebrate his birthday. He invited thirteen animals, each with their unique personality. Whoever was first to the party the emperor held would get to be first in the zodiac. Because of this event the mouse and his good friend, the cat, trick the gullible and kind-hearted ox to bring them across the river. Yet just before they arrived at the shore, the mouse pushed the cat into the water, therefore eliminating his last opponent to get first. Jumping off the ox and ran to the party first, winning first place.

Then came the ox in second place, and then the powerful tiger. Fourth place was granted to the creative rabbit, which was jumping on floating logs in the river to get to the other side. The considerate and kind-hearted dragon, which can both fly and swim across to the other side. The reason for the dragon not being first was because he stopped to help stop a drought; and when he saw the rabbit clinging on to the log, that was stuck in the river, for his dear life the dragon gave a windy huff and blew the rabbit to shore before himself.

Next came the horse that came after the snake. The snakes had slither between the horse's legs and startle him, so that the snake got sixth place and the horse seventh place. The next three animals included in the zodiac worked as a team. The sheep, monkey, and the rooster were those three animals. The sheep and monkey row the threesome to shore, they used a raft the rooster spotted. The eighth animal became the sheep, the monkey was granted ninth place, and then came the rooster in tenth.

After awhile the dog had finally reached the shore. He have taken longer than he have, since he can swim. The dog came in late because he stopped to take a bath, afraid to pollute the clean water in the river with his muddy body.

As the emperor was about to dismiss the eleven animals, a squeal was heard. The emperor was surprised to see that the pig has made it across. According to the pig he would have been there sooner had he not stop to take a rest. The emperor laughed as he made the pig the last and twelfth animal in the Chinese zodiac."

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, I know it's somewhat shorter than the other chapters have been, but there is quite a bit in this chapter. I think it's kind of obvious what Meiran found. But hey, what real better way to break the news to her? I mean, could you just imagine how uncomfortable the two would be around each other if he had to tell her? But now, they have a little time to get used to the idea without being around each other.

Oh, and sorry it took me forever to get this chapter up. I was having problems deciding how I wanted everything to happen. Especially with Meiran and the whole apartment thing. And I hope you paid attention to the clans and their order. I will be using them more in the future.

But, the Zodiac story did take up almost half of the chapter. This is the most common version of the Zodiac I have found. There are lots of versions of it and I suggest you run a search on the Chinese Zodiac to see what you get.

If you want to know what your animal is, just tell me in a review and make sure you leave me your email address. I will need your birth year to tell you but after that, I can give you a small profile and you can see how you match up with it. In case you're wondering, I am of the year of the Horse.

I own nothing in this fan fiction but Xin Xin.


	5. Chapter 5

****

Past Meets Present

* * *

Picking up the pieces of the broken glass, Meiran winced as a piece sliced open her finger. A knock on the door grabbed her attention. Looking up, she saw the tall man with the large bang.

"I already know why you're here," he told her before she could speak. "Quatre told Heero and I."

"Oh," Meiran replied, sticking her finger in her mouth. After a moment, she took her finger out and asked him what his name was.

"It's Trowa," he answered. As he began to leave, he told her one last bit of information. "Quatre is headed this way."

"Thanks," Meiran told him as she picked up the last few pieces of glass and set the photograph back on the dresser. Taking a quick peek at it, Meiran realized that quite a few things now made sense, like why Wufei had known that she was once called Nataku and she was the heir of the Dragon Clan. And, it also explained why he could give blood to her, no, Xin Xin wasn't just her daughter anymore. She was their daughter now.

"How are you doing?" Quatre Raberba Winner's voice asked from the doorway. Meiran stood up and walked over to him.

"Fine. I must thank you once more for letting me stay here, but I must be on my way to work now," she told him.

"Okay. Just tell me if you need any help," Quatre told her as she closed the door and got changed. When the door opened again, Meiran came out wearing her waitress uniform. "But, since this place is closer to my work than where I was, I will be seeing my daughter tonight. I am sure she would love to have a visitor."

True to her word, Meiran did visit the hospital and she took Quatre with her. While the young expilot told her daughter a story, Meiran talked to the doctor in charge of her daughter.

"So, you're telling me that my daughter will be released in two weeks?" Meiran asked, not believing what she was hearing.

"Yes. It seems that the blood given to her has begun to affect her own and is changing it. We're not quite sure how but it's definitely a good thing," replied the doctor.

"Xiè-xie, zhàng-fu."

"Huh? What did you say?" The doctor requested.

"Nothing, just talking to myself," she told him, looking over at her daughter who was laughing at the moment.

"You know, for a six-year-old, she is an incredibly well behaved child," Quatre told Meiran on their way to Meiran's new residence.

"I know. I don't know what I did to deserve such a child but I thank the Eternal Dragon for every moment I have with her," answered the mother. "She's helped me survive it all. All I have left in this world that means anything to me."

"Don't you have friends?" Quatre asked as they reached the door. She told him that she didn't. "That's sad. To be all alone except for just a few people. I know how that feels."

"You do?" She asked, surprised as she closed the door behind her. "Yes. You see, I was a Gundam pilot in the wars," he answered her.

"A pilot?" Meiran repeated. "Were you really?"

Looking at him, she saw he nodded. "You don't seem like one."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Quatre smiled as they walked into the kitchen. Opening a cabinet, he asked if she wanted a glass of water.

"Why thank you," Meiran answered as Duo came barging in. "So, which one did you pilot?"

"Are you two talking about the wars?" Duo interrupted them. Meiran told him they were. And then she asked him if he had been a pilot as well.

"Yeah, all five of us were," Shinigami answered her. "So, want to know which one I piloted?" Duo offered.

"Why not," Meiran told him. Puffing out his chest, he replied, "Well, I piloted the Deathscythe. So, I was the second pilot."

"Heero was Wing Zero's pilot," Quatre added. "Yeah, that made him the first pilot," Duo told her, looking a little glum. "Trowa was the third pilot and his Gundam was Heavyarms'," Quatre put in.

"This guy here," Duo pointed to Quatre, "piloted the Sandrock and ended up being the fourth pilot."

"And last but definitely not least, was Wuffie, the fifth pilot;" Duo went on after a moment. Meiran took a drink out of her cup.

"And his Gundam was the Nataku," Quatre finished up. For the second time that day, she dropped something.

It was three days before Sally and Wufei could get away to speak to their counterparts, Noin and Zechs. The four were sitting in the couple's hotel room. It was small, just one bed, on which sat Sally and Noin, both women cross-legged. Zechs was standing by the door and Wufei against one of the walls.

"So, what have you found out?" Zechs Merquise asked the two.

"Nothing." Both of Chinese descent answered at once. "This group does not give up its secrets easily and Mr. High-and-Mighty over there won't use his power to push his way to the top," Sally replied glumly, picking at a thread of the monkey embroidered on her skirt.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think that would be a wise idea," Wufei shot back. Noin and Zechs shared a look and asked them what the two were talking about.

"There's this clan system and he," Sally pointed to her partner, "is part of the two most powerful. And, because of that, he's the second most powerful person. Only this chick named Meiran is powerful than he is."

"Is that so?" Noin asked, amused. Wufei scowled at Sally. He hadn't wanted everyone to know everything about himself.

"He's right," Zechs spoke up. "If he started to flaunt power, it would make people suspicious."

They talked for a little longer but the two Chinese people had to head back soon or else people might get suspicious of their absence. As the two walked back to where they were staying, Wufei stopped at a market stall.

"How much?" He asked the woman running it. She looked at him oddly so he repeated his request in Chinese. She told him and Sally stopped, looking to see what was taking him. What she was not expecting was to see her friend buying a small stuffed animal. Looking at it, she realized it was a phoenix.

"Why did you get that?" Sally asked. Wufei didn't answer; just kept on walking which annoyed the woman. Yelling at him, she ran to catch up.

"What's with you lately? Ever since we've come here, you've been cold. Colder than usual. Do you really hate me or something?" Sally demanded, holding his arm so he couldn't go anywhere. It began to rain hard, soaking the two in a few moments.

"I don't hate you woman. It's just, there is a lot going on back home at this moment," Wufei replied, trying to shield the new toy he had just bought from getting soaked.

"So, you've never let things like that affect you on a mission," Sally told him, voice started to get louder.

"Shut up," he hissed at her. They were starting to attract attention.

"No. I won't. Right now, it's just you and me. Nothing else. What the hell is going on with you?" She had become louder and it was hard to tell if those were tears running down her face or just the rain.

"Nothing that concerns you," Wufei answered, getting louder as well.

"Just tell me one thing, do you or do you not love me?" Sally demanded, lowering her voice to almost nothing. She looked into Wufei's eyes, blond hair plastered to her head. He turned away, not able to look her in the eyes. She let go of him and walked away, leaving him alone standing on the sidewalk.

The next few weeks passed by relatively quietly for both Wufei and Meiran. While Meiran's life kept getting better and better, Wufei's did not. He and Sally didn't talk to each other unless they had to and even then it was forced. After they had been there for about a week and a half, Une decided is was time to attack.

Wufei and Sally were not involved in the attack but were sent away from the place to go back home. Things were still strained to between the two of them and it was making Wufei tired.

Unlocking the door to his home, Wufei heard someone sobbing.

A few hours earlier, Meiran had received an urgent call from the hospital. When she got there, she found her daughter having seizures. "No," she told herself.

The four men she was living with had also arrived at the hospital by then. She couldn't inform them of what was happening to her daughter. A doctor had to tell them. None of them looked pleased to find out this information. At some point in time, each had visited the girl and gotten at least a little attached to her.

They were forced to leave the hospital because they were apparently too loud. So now they were sitting in the house's living room. Meiran was sobbing into Duo's shoulder. Duo just held the small Chinese woman close, running a hand through her hair, trying his best to comfort her. Sitting on the couch, Trowa and Quatre sat.

Quatre was trying his best to keep from crying. He wanted to stay strong but he had really grown to love the little girl. He leaned against his boyfriend, trying to draw strength from the clown. Heero was sitting in the corner of the room, not saying a word. Just, sitting there.

"What the hell is going on here?" A grumpy male voice asked from the doorway. Each person looked up to see Wufei there.

"Why are you here?" Wufei heard himself say to his wife.

She glared at him. "My daughter's dying."

"What are you talking about? She was getting better when I left," Wufei growled, not liking this turn of events.

"Things have changed. Xin Xin is now dying," Heero spoke up. Wufei didn't want to hear anymore. Storming up to his room, he discovered it had been changed. Subtly, of course, but still, it had changed.

"What the hell happened in here?" He hollered. Duo winced. "I guess he found his room," stated the American. A few moments later, everyone except Heero and Trowa winced when the front door slammed closed. Walking into the night sky, he wandered off, not knowing where he was going.

Soon after he started, he found himself at a hospital. And he knew his daughter was inside it. Wufei went inside, demanding he be shown to his daughter. He was loud and wouldn't shut up.

"Sir, if we let you see your child, will you calm down and shut up?" Someone asked. Turning to that person, Wufei glared and replied that he would. After that, he was lead immediately up to her room.

He stopped when he saw her. Her small, frail body was hooked up to several machines. Pushing a nurse aside, he stood next to her bed. He didn't realize what he did, but he held her hand between his.

Her fingers are so tiny, he realized. Looking at her, he found a lot of his wife in her. But, he did have to admit this little girl looked a lot like he had at about the same age.

He held her hand for a long time. Suddenly, someone coughed, grabbing his attention. Turning his head but never letting go he saw Sally Po standing there.

"What are you doing here?" He growled, not wanting to deal with her at the moment. Sally walked over towards him and the girl. "I should be asking you the same thing," she told him. "But, if you must know, I was asked to come here and try to help this little girl."

"Xin Xin," Wufei told her.

"Huh?" Sally asked.

"Her name, its Xin Xin. Chang Xin Xin."

Sally looked at him, shocked. "Is she, is she related to you?" Stuttered the older adult.

"Yeah, she's my, my," Wufei tried to say the word but he was still having trouble admitting it to himself that this little girl was his child.

Looking at her peaceful face, he watched as her eyes fluttered open. "Where's my Niáng?" Asked the girl, scared.

"Shh, don't worry. I'll stay here until your Niáng shows up. Because, little one, it's Die," Wufei whispered to the girl. Her eyes widened as she repeated his last word. She struggled to sit up.

Sally watched as Wufei whispered something to the young girl. Whatever he said must have had an effect on her because the girl was now trying to sit up. But this was bad for her.

"Little girl, you need to lay back down and rest. It's the only way that you might live," Sally told the girl.

The girl looked to Wufei and asked him something in Chinese. Patting her hand, he replied, "Yes, Nu ér, I will stay."

* * *

A/N: And here's a nice touching moment to leave it off at. I hate to do this, but will some people please check out my website? It's not that bad but to make it better, I need people to go to it. It's kind of interactive and I can't interact with myself to well.

A few more Chinese words were used. Hopefully, you still remember what Niáng means. I own nothing in this fic but little Xin Xin.

* * *

Chinese Glossary

Xiè-xie, zhàng-fu- Thank you, husband

Die- Dad; Daddy

Nu ér- Daughter


	6. Chapter 6

The doctors didn't know what to think. Ever since the little girl had gone to sleep with the knowledge that Wufei would stay, she began to get better. Like, he was lending her the strength she needed. Meiran was called and told of her daughter's condition.

"I'm going now," she announced to the men. "But, I need to be alone," she added as she left. Trudging through the sludge that was forming on the cold ground, she quickly made her way to the hospital. She already knew where to go and went there after checking in at the Nurses' station.

Meiran saw the door to her daughter's room was open. Looking inside, she saw Wufei holding her, no, their daughter's hand. Quietly walking over to them, she found that he kept nodding off every few seconds.

"Hey," she announced her presence, putting one of her hands on his shoulder. He was startled but quickly covered it. Wufei turned to look her in the face.

"I don't want her to die," he croaked out. The two just stared at each other for a few minutes. In that silence, they both found that the other knew. But that didn't make it anymore uncomfortable. Like, what where they supposed to say?

"Do you want some coffee?" Meiran heard him ask. She nodded told him how she liked the stuff. Taking his seat, Meiran waited by her daughter's bedside.

The young girl stirred. Opening her eyes, she looked around. "Niáng, where's Die? He said he'd be here," Xin Xin asked, scared.

Meiran blinked. Her daughter had already accepted Wufei. So why was she having such a hard time?

"You're awake," a woman's voice said from the doorway. Meiran turned her head so she could see who it was. A tall, blond woman in a doctor's scrubs was there. She walked into the room. "My name is Sally Po;" the blond woman introduced herself.

"You look familiar," Meiran told her after introducing herself as Mei.

"Niáng, where's Die? He promised he'd stay with me," Xin Xin repeated, getting scared. It was at that time Wufei walked into the room with two mugs, both steaming from what was assumed coffee.

Sally watched as Wufei handed one of the mugs to Mei and set the other down on the small bedside table. He then pulled another chair over and sat next to the full-blooded Chinese woman, taking his mug with him. Patting the young girl's hand, he replied to the girl in Chinese.

Something about this scene seemed familiar. And then Sally realized what it reminded her of. It wasn't often that children died in the hospital, but that didn't mean the threat wasn't there. It was normal to see a parent or two sitting next to their child much like Wufei and Mei were doing.

"Wufei, can I speak to you for a moment?" Requested the doctor. He said something to the girl and then followed her.

"What?" He asked with a scowl. Sally looked at him. "How do you know those two? Are they part of your family or something?"

He caught the jealous tone in her voice. Knowing that this would be hard because Wufei did care for Sally and he knew she cared for him, he began to speak.

"Yes, they are my family."

"How so?" Sally questioned him, eyes narrowed. She desperately hoped he would say they were cousins of him or something along those lines.

"Xin Xin, she's my, she's my daughter," Wufei answered, still having trouble with the fact. Sally couldn't hide the shock that was written on her face. Trying to stay strong, Sally asked about Mei.

"She, Meiran, she's my, my," he couldn't sat it.

"Just tell me," Sally ordered him. "Just tell me."

He inhaled a breath and quickly told her that Meiran was his wife.

"No," Sally said to herself. "All these years, you've been married. And you never told me. How dare you."

Mind a jumble, the half-Chinese woman slapped him. Narrowing her eyes to slits, she left the room. He started to follow her when he stopped.

Sally Po stormed out of the hospital and to her apartment. Sally went to unlock the door but found it already done. Walking in, she heard the voices of Lucrezia and Zechs.

"What's wrong?" Sally heard Noin ask. Zechs left the roommate and Sally began to cry, telling Lucrezia Noin the whole story.

"So, wait, you're telling me that Wufei has a wife and kid?" The shorthaired woman summed up what her friend was trying to say. Through her tears, Sally nodded. "Come here," Noin told her, embracing her best friend and apartment mate.

Back at the hospital, Quatre had finally arrived, dragging Trowa and the other two with him. He politely asked where Xin Xin's room was. They needed to go onto an elevator and so, the four piled in. Quatre watched and positioned himself between Trowa and Duo.

The Arabian was still being protective of Trowa who didn't care. Even after all their time together, Trowa still thought that Quatre had a few odd traits. Being overprotective of Trowa was one of them.

As the four walked towards where Xin Xin's room was, they heard two people arguing. Since they were yelling in Chinese, it was probably Wufei and Mei. And, as they walked into the room, they found that they were right.

"Niáng, Die," Xin Xin's voice pleaded. The two adults stopped fighting and looked to her. "No more fighting, please," she requested.

Back in the doorway, the four men stood, not quite sure of what they had seen just happen. "Uncles," Xin Xin suddenly said, seeing the men. Wufei turned to see his friends standing there. Muttering, the Chinese man stormed past them.

"What's his problem?" Duo asked Mei. She started talking in Chinese and even though they couldn't understand her, the men knew she was most likely cursing.

Mei finally turned to her daughter and told her she'd be back soon.

Meiran stormed down the halls, looking for her husband. The nerve of him to just leave without saying a word. She finally found him out in the parking lot, standing there, waiting for the bus.

"Wufei!" She hollered. He ignored her. "The nerve of that man," she grumbled to herself. She began to jog towards him. Moments later, she was standing next to him. Glaring at him, she asked, "What the hell's your problem?"

Again, he ignored her. He was really starting to piss her off. Making a fist, she punched him squarely on the jaw. He turned to glare at her. "What was that for, woman?" He asked, voice dripping with venom.

"Don't ignore me when I'm talking to you, you asshole," she screamed at him.

"Get the hell away from me, weak woman," Wufei yelled at her.

"I am not weak. It's not my fault your head's stuck so far up your ass that you can't see the truth," Meiran told him. She slapped him across the face and stormed off in the opposite direction of the hospital.

Wufei's bus pulled up at that time and he got on. His face was starting to hurt. First Sally had slapped him, then that punch, which had actually hurt a little and then Meiran's slap. And the weird thing was, the slaps had hurt more than the punch.

Taking a seat, he looked out the window. But all he could see was Xin Xin. All he could hear was her pleading voice, not saying the words but so wanting her parents to stop the yelling.

"Where's my Niáng?" The young girl asked her adopted 'uncles' a little while after the two Chinese adults had left. "Where did Die go?" She was scared, that much they could tell from the tone in her voice.

"Shh, it's going to be alright. I'm sure they'll be back soon," Quatre tried to soothe her, patting the young girl's hand. Meanwhile, Duo was looking through a Chinese to English dictionary, trying to figure out what all the girl was saying. She kept flipping back and forth between the two languages. But, the weird thing was, she kept getting better.

It was amazing what her willpower to live was. Just a few hours ago, doctors' had said she'd die soon. But she was getting better. No one could believe it and as the night grew old, she kept on getting better and better. But still no parents.

"Niáng, Die," she muttered in her sleep. Duo was snoozing on the floor, dictionary quest now given up. Quatre was sitting beside the girl's bed. Heero had disappeared a little while ago. Trowa was now ruffling through the dictionary. He was the only one making noise other than Duo's soft snores and the room was actually peaceful.

"Niáng, a word used by young children that means Mom," he suddenly said, making Quatre jump. He continued on, "Die, a word used by young children that means," he stopped and smirked, "daddy."

"Daddy?" Quatre asked, not believing the word. "Wait a minute, she's been calling Wufei that. So, is he really related to her? Is he really her father?"

"Yes, he is," Heero's voice broke into the conversation. Both men turned to see him standing there, holding his laptop. He looked around for a plug and when he found one, turned his laptop on, motioning for the two to come over.

Trowa stood behind Heero, using his tall height so his lover could more easily see whatever Heero wanted them to see. The shortest of the three stood next to Heero, eyes watching the screen. Heero himself was focused solely on the task at hand and within moments, he had brought up some important looking documents.

"This is her birth certificate," Quatre mumbled to himself. Heero nodded and then brought up another file.

"You may find this a little more interesting though," Heero informed the two who nodded in response. He showed them the information that was on his laptop.

"What is this?" Asked the blond. Turning to his friend, Heero began to explain. "Wufei has his DNA on file through the Preventors in case they need to identify him. We all do. So does Xin Xin. I used the hospital's DNA analysis to run through; checking Xin Xin's with Wufei's. The two have eight matching alleles, which makes them closely related."

"But how do you know that he's her father? Why not, say a much older brother or something?" Quatre asked, wanting to check all angles.

Heero didn't say anything, just started typing away. It took him a few minutes but he brought up a newspaper article. Too bad it was in Chinese. Quatre sighed and told Heero that he couldn't read Chinese. Heero and Quatre jumped when Trowa said he could.

Heero could as well, but he kept his mouth closed as Trowa began to translate the article.

"Yesterday, our two strongest clans were joined as the young heir to the Dragon Clan, Ron Meiran, was wed to the Phoenix Clan's heir, Chang Wufei. It is hoped that the two's marriage strengthens the bond between the two Clan's, paving a future that both peaceful and just. Unfortunately, both bride and groom cannot be reached, as their Clan heads do not wish them to be bothered."

"Mei could be short for Meiran," Quatre said to himself. The other two nodded in agreement. Suddenly, Heero let out an uncharacteristic yawn. Turning to his friend, Quatre suggested something. "Why don't you take Duo home and get some rest yourself? Trowa and I can stay here and let you know anything."

Heero opened his mouth to say no and ended up yawning again. Reluctantly, the Japanese man agreed with his friends and walked over to his American counterpart. "Wake up," he told the other man who was awake in moments. A remnant of the war. Being able to wake up at any moment. The trait had its uses but also some drawbacks.

"Come on, we're going home," Heero ordered, leaving with a sleepy Duo. The two quickly made their way home and went to bed. Sometime in the night, the front door slammed close. The sound woke the two ex-pilots instantly. Looking at each other, the two nodded, agreeing to go check it out.

Quietly, the crept down the stairs, wondering who had just so rudely arrived. Heero jerked his head left and went towards the kitchen. Duo rolled his eyes and headed right, walking into the living room. He did not expect to find what he found.

"Hey, Heero, come in here," Duo called amusedly. Heero quickly walked into the room. Looking into the room, he couldn't help but have a small smile on his face. The two watched their friend for several minutes, listening to his babbling. Turning to his Japanese friend, Duo couldn't help but state the obvious. "He makes a pretty interesting drunk, doesn't he?"

Heero nodded in agreement. Just then, the telephone rang. Heero knew his friends and right now, neither would answer it, so he did. "Hello," he answered.

"Uncle Heero is that you?" Asked a scared voice on the other end. He recognized it instantly as Xin Xin's.

"Yes. What's the matter?" He questioned the girl. Someone talked on the other end but he couldn't make out the voice.

He heard her suppress a sob and answer his question. "My Niáng and Die aren't back. And Uncle Quatre and Uncle Trowa aren't here."

"Where are you at?" Heero asked, getting worried. She sniffled but only said more of as a cry, "I want my Niáng."

And then, the line was cut.

* * *

**A/N:** I am getting good at leaving these cliffhangers. Not anything to say at the moment other than I do not own anything in this fic but Xin Xin. Oh, and this starts the ball rolling. No, seriously, it does.  
Oh, and people, what's with the 248 hits? That's just amazing to see this is so popular when I'm practically writing blind. And I expect to be writing even more, with Driver's Ed over and the June part of Marching Band coming to a close. So, look for more chapters in the near future.I am getting good at leaving these cliffhangers. Not anything to say at the moment other than I do not own anything in this fic but Xin Xin. Oh, and this starts the ball rolling. No, seriously, it does.Oh, and people, what's with the 248 hits? That's just amazing to see this is so popular when I'm practically writing blind. And I expect to be writing even more, with Driver's Ed over and the June part of Marching Band coming to a close. So, look for more chapters in the near future. 


	7. Chapter 7

Heero immediately dialed69, in hopes of getting Xin Xin back but it didn't work. Duo looked expectantly at his friend. "Who was that?" Shinigami wondered.

"It was Xin Xin," Heero began.

"Well that's good," Duo put in. He started to say something else but stopped at seeing Heero's raised hand.

"She was crying for her parents. Quatre and Trowa weren't there and someone was talking in the background," Heero finished. Just then, Wufei broke into some more drunken babble. Heero glared at the man for a moment then ordered Duo to make a prairie oyster.

"What, for him?" Duo asked. "Why?"

"Just do it," Heero replied, anger lacing his voice. Duo ran off to the kitchen, not quite knowing why Heero was in such a bad mood. The Japanese man just looked at his friend and felt anger. And he wasn't quite sure why.

Meiran had somehow ended up at her old building. Sitting inside the doorway, she fell asleep, shivering because it was so cold.

"Are you okay?" Trowa asked Quatre. The short, blond man had started to rub his chest. Quatre looked up and into his boyfriend's eyes. "Something's wrong."

"What's wrong?" Trowa went on. Quatre rubbed his chest, not answering for a few moments. "Xin Xin's scared," he told the other.

"Then, we should go back to the room;" Trowa answered, standing up. Quatre nodded and the two walked back to the room. Usually, Trowa had to slow down to be able to walk with his Little One but now, he had to speed up a little.

Quatre burst into the room and stopped. Trowa, who had been lagging behind a little, was barely able to stop in time. As he stood behind Quatre, he saw what had shocked the other man. Xin Xin was gone. Her bed was a mess and it looked like there had been a struggle. But what was most horrible was the message on the wall.

It was written in something red. Hopefully, not blood, Quatre thought. He began to read it.

Give us Chang Wufei or she dies

Growling in frustration, Heero picked up the phone when it rang, hoping it was Xin Xin again. Instead, he was rewarded with Quatre's voice.

"What? This is just great," Duo heard Heero say. "He's drunk as hell right now, too."

Duo figured he was talking to someone they knew and about Wufei. Handing his drunken friend the prairie oyster, the American turned to the Japanese man. "Who is it?" He mouthed.

"Quatre," was the answer. Duo nodded. "It's just got a call from her a little bit ago. Quatre, she was scared, asking for her parents," Heero said. Duo furrowed his brow. When Heero was finished, he turned and found Duo there.

"What were you talking about?" He was asked. Heero glanced at Wufei who was holding the empty glass then turned to face his best friend.

"Xin Xin has been kidnapped." As soon as he said this, a small thud was heard. Heero didn't need to turn to know it was Wufei dropping his empty glass. Heero continued. "And, they want him," he nodded his head towards the Chinese man, "or they'll kill her."

"What?" Both voices asked impulsively. "Who has her?" Wufei wanted to know.

"This is the part you're not going to like. We don't know. She was taken from the hospital while Quatre and Trowa were getting something to eat and a message was left on the wall. The phone call a little bit ago was Xin Xin," Heero told them. Finally turning to face the man, Heero asked him a question.

"I work for the Preventor's, of course I have enemies," Wufei growled in response. It was amazing what a prairie oyster could do; though he was starting to get a killer headache. Quatre and Trowa showed up while he was getting something to help kill the ache.

It wasn't until Duo asked something so obvious that the guys realized something. "Where's Mei?"

Meiran shivered, pulling her arms closer to her chest. It was cold out and she didn't have a coat or anything. Just then, a car pulled up in front of the building. Someone stepped out and walked up to the building. Watching the person, she figured it was a tenant of the building. But, when the tall figure reached the doorway and her, she realized that the person was not. Before she could do anything, a rag was placed over her nose and mouth.

She was unconscious in moments.

"Niáng," Xin Xin cried softly to herself. Occasionally, she'd slip in a Die. The young girl was cold, hungry, and scared. She was in a dark room with no heat and one very dim light that she huddled under. Luckily, it was against a wall so she wasn't sitting in the middle of the room. Suddenly, a bright light came filtering into the room.

Whimpering in the pain it caused her, she covered her eyes. Hearing a thud, she looked up. A body was thrown into the room near her. The room she was in wasn't big, Xin Xin knew and when the source of light closed, she crawled over to whatever had been thrown in.

"Niáng," she said softly, seeing her mother's body. Though her mother was cold, Xin Xin crawled into the woman's arms, wanting some source of comfort.

Shortly after that, the guys received a package. Wufei was upstairs, trying to sleep off a hangover that was starting to form even though he'd had a prairie oyster and had taken some ibuprofen. Quatre was in the kitchen, making a pot of coffee for the others and a small kettle of tea for himself. Heero was busy on his laptop, doing whatever he could. Trowa and Duo were playing War, trying to keep busy.

"Follow him, Duo," Heero ordered after the package was delivered. The braided man opened his mouth to complain but on seeing the glare he was getting, decided not. Grumbling as he threw on a coat, Duo left.

Carefully looking at it, Trowa opened the package. It was just a piece of paper with a web address. Heero took one look at it and was already typing the newest piece of information into his laptop. A website popped up with a link. Clicking on it, he found that the screen was pitch black.

No, wait, there was a light source, it was just very dim. Shadowy figures could be seen moving. It looked like someone was rocking back and forth. Turning his sound up all the way, Heero could hear a woman's voice crying.

"It's Mei;" Quatre breathed when he heard the voice. Heero and Trowa realized this as soon as he said it. The woman was Mei, or at least, it was her voice saying the things they were hearing. Heero began to type away, trying to find out the ISP.

Duo came into the place a little while later. "Lost him in a crowd over near the shuttle port. So, what was in the package?"

"What package?" Wufei's voice asked. He walked over towards Heero, trying to see what he was doing. Not saying a word, the Japanese man minimized what he was doing and maximized another document.

It was the dark room with Meiran and Xin Xin, though, the light was brighter now and they could see the two well. Duo turned to face his friends, and asked, "When did they get Mei?"

Quatre hung his head, leaning against Trowa, and answered, "She was in the room with Xin Xin when we got the package."

Wufei slammed his fist into the table, anger seething from him. "Why take them if they want me? Why?"

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he saw Quatre. "We will get them back," the Arabian told him. "We will."

"What the hell is going on here?" Duo suddenly interrupted. "I mean, Wuffie here is so pissed but why the hell are you?"

"Don't call me Wuffie," growled the already pissed off Chinese man. Duo looked at his friend. "No. I want to be let into this big secret that everyone but me seems to know."

Plopping down on the couch, he continued. "Are you related to Mei or something?"

Wufei looked at his friend and answered he was. "So, she your sister or a cousin?" He paused then said with a joking tone, "Couldn't be your wife because no woman could ever put up with you."

Wufei and the others grew even more silent then they already were. Duo looked at them in shock. "You mean, you and Mei are married?"

"Yes," answered Wufei very curtly. Duo whistled and summed up pretty much whatever one was thinking in one word. "Damn."

* * *

A/N: A really short chapter, I know. But hey, lots of stuff happens in this one. And Duo finally gets in on the big secret. But, how do Meiran and Xin Xin's captors know their connection with Wufei? And, will the guys get to the two female Changs before they are killed? These questions and so many more will be answered next time. Oh, and for those who haven't looked at my profile yet, I've written a little side story/prequel to Past Meets Present. It's called Young Phoenix. I think you can guess who it's about by that alone.

I own nothing in this fic but Xin Xin who is as cute as a button.


	8. Chapter 8

Meiran woke up when she heard the doors opening. Clutching her daughter closer to her, she saw a man walking into the room, carrying a tray. Before she knew what she was doing, she asked him a question.

"Why are we here?"

"We want Chang Wufei;" he answered, sitting the tray down in front of her. "When we get him, you two will be let go."

"He'll never give himself up though," Meiran replied. "He's too much of a bastard."

Miles away, Wufei winced at hearing his wife's words. Heero was busy on his laptop but the others still had theirs from the war. Quatre was busy searching through some of Wufei's latest missions with Trowa helping. Duo was doing something, most likely looking up parts of Meiran's past. But Wufei wasn't doing much. He kept switching over to see his wife and child because that was the only thing he felt like he could do.

Then he realized something. The guy that she was talking to. He knew that man. It was the man who had interviewed him and Sally when they started their last mission.

"Stop. I know who has them," Wufei suddenly said. The others looked up at him. The expressions on Quatre and Duo's faces were ones of relief but the other two were unreadable as over.

"Well, then, who's got them?" Duo asked. The Chinese man told them quickly of the last mission he had been on.

"We need to call the other three over here then," Heero added when Wufei was finished. "Especially Sally."

Wufei stopped himself from touching the spot on his face where the woman had hit him. It was hard to believe that everything was happening so fast. He had just gotten home from a mission just the day before and already the people he had betrayed were after him. They had his wife, they had his daughter. And they wanted him.

"Hello, this is the home of Lucrezia Noin and Sally Po. Please leave your name and phone number after the beep along with any and all messages you may have."

Sally sat next to her answering machine, watching soaps, trying to ease the pain that was in her heart. Suddenly, she heard Wufei's voice.

"Sally, I know you're there. Pick up the phone," he commanded. She rolled her eyes and listened. "Sally, this is important. I need your help. If you don't, then, innocent peoplecould be killed," he said, this time, pleading, something she thought he would never do. But she stood firm and didn't answer the phone.

"She's either not home or not picking up the phone," Wufei told them. Just then, Meiran's voice started to yell from Wufei's computer.

"No! Don't take her away!" Meiran yelled, clutching her daughter as the man who had brought them food was tugging at her daughter. "Niáng!" Screamed Xin Xin as she clung to her mother. The five guys could only watch helplessly as Xin Xin was torn from her mother's arms and taken away.

"Dammit," Wufei growled afterwards as they heard Meiran sob. The woman was curled into a little ball, expecting the worst. But, this one thing spurred the guys to work even harder. The day passed quickly without much more said.

Towards three in the morning, Heero finally cracked the silence. "Found them," he said triumphantly. The other four just looked at him, eyes weary, not quite getting what he had said until it sunk in. And then, the room became alive again as the guys stood up and stretched. And then, they began to plan. Of course the five would sneak in and try to sneak the two girls out but that may not be possible.

Quatre yawned quite loudly and blushed just a little. "I guess the lack of sleep has caught up with me," he told them sheepishly. Not meaning to, he did it again. "It's been a long night. Why don't we go to bed and sleep for awhile?" Trowa suggested, slinging an arm around Quatre. Duo nodded in agreement, already heading off to his and Heero's room.

Trowa helped Quatre up the stairs, making sure the blond man didn't fall down the stairs from fatigue. Heero looked at his silent friend for a moment. And then, he closed his laptop and left the room without saying a word.

Wufei was now in the room alone. Stealing one last look at the computer screen, he found himself saying something over and over. He didn't know what he was saying but it seemed to help because he left the room and headed to his own.

As soon as he walked into the room, he realized that it still had his wife's stuff in it. It was then that he realized the room looked quite like their own had back on L5. And that, for some reason pleased him. Undressing down to nothing, the Chinese man looked through his dresser for a few moments, looking for his normal white sweat pants. Pulling out a lacy, red nightdress he blushed, realizing that it must be Meiran's. It was all he could do from imagining his wife in it. Putting it back, he soon found what he was looking for. And then, he sank into his bed, inhaling Meiran's sweet, yet tangy smell that clung to the pillows, both his and hers.

Meiran was huddled in a small ball, not wanting a thing in the world but her daughter. She needed her Xin Xin. She needed her Faith.

The story behind her daughter's name was one Meiran had never told her baby girl and might never. So many years ago, when Meiran was sent away to that other colony; she had had no idea that she was pregnant. If she had, the Chinese woman would probably have not joined the fight. But she didn't know and so, she had.

It came to a surprise to the woman to find herself pregnant, her child alive even through the explosion that had just about killed her. As she slowly healed, becoming larger and larger with each month, Meiran slipped more and more into depression. Because of her injuries, she could not give birth to her baby; instead, the doctors cut her stomach open and tore the child from her insides.

That had been the final straw. While her newborn child was away in the nursery, never having been seen by her mother, Meiran had had enough and tore the wires from her body. The IV had been the first to go and with it, the drugs given to keep her under control.

She had destroyed her room, the nurses said later on. A little hellcat, one had commented, making Meiran puff her chest in pride.

But somehow, one of the nurses brought Meiran her baby. Meiran had looked into those little eyes that stared back at her. And suddenly, she no longer wanted to give up. Holding the girl close, Meiran, barely more than a child herself, gave her child a large weight. "As long as I have you, I will have faith," breathed the new mother.

Xin Xin, given the name just moments before, yawned and snuggled close to her mother. The tiny baby was soon asleep and her mother was as well. The nurse who had come to check on Meiran saw the two and smiled.

The next year was the hardest of Meiran's life. She had to go through so much therapy and still be a mother. Though, thankfully, the nurses all adored her daughter and did most of the work. Since Meiran had no legal guardians left alive, she was forced to live in the hospital until they found her capable to live alone and take care of a young child.

Eventually, she was released into a healing home. The woman that ran the place instantly fell in love with Xin Xin, which made things so much easier because now, the young girl was beginning to walk. And sowas her mother. Meiran was hobbling around at about that time and her daughter would watch with wide eyes. If Meiran fell, Xin Xin would cry for her. But if she didn't, her daughter would act like it was the biggest accomplishment in the world.

Even as a young child, Xin Xin caught on to so much. It wasn't that much after that when Xin Xin began to talk and her first word, much to Meiran's delight, was Niáng. Originally, the Chinese woman had tried to teach her daughter Chinese but found that it just wasn't as practical as the more common and more used language that everyone knew. But the little girl still had quite a Chinese vocabulary that she had acquired over the years just by asking her mother. She really did want to learn about her mother's language.

Just then, the door opened and a small figure walked into the room. "Xin Xin," Meiran called, rushing to hug her child. After she was done, Meiran began to check for any cuts and bruises. To her relief, the only ones she had were old ones that she had already had before being abducted.

The next few days went like so. Just doing nothing really, though about halfway through the second day, Meiran began to teach her daughter new Chinese words. Both of them were eager for the distraction though they dreaded the times when Xin Xin was called away. One of these times, Meiran began to hear yelling and the sound of gunfire.

"This is the last room," a man's voice said in front of Meiran's door. It opened suddenly and flooded the small room with light. Meiran instantly covered her eyes. With her inability to see, she didn't realize that someone was next to her until they spoke.

"Are you okay?" He asked concerned. Meiran realized she knew that voice and turned, throwing her arms around Quatre's neck.

"Do you have Xin Xin?" Was the first thing out of her mouth. Quatre shook his head and answered, "Trowa and Wufei are going after her."

At that time, the radio Quatre had crackled. "Oh-four, you there?"

"Yes, Oh-two," he answered. The first voice came back. "Do you have her?"

"Yes," Quatre replied. "Stay in the room with her. Don't leave until Oh-one or I tell you to leave," ordered Oh-two. Before Quatre could ask why, the sounds of a firefight broke out. It went on for forever, Meiran thought but finally a new voice crackled. "Oh-four, this is Oh-one. Do you read me?"

"Loud and clear. Is it okay to move?" Quatre asked. "Yes, and do so quickly. And avoid the front entrance, Oh-two's setting some explosives in it," cautioned the new voice.

Quatre turned to Meiran. "We have to move," he told her, standing up. Holding out his hand, he helped her up. "Now, you need to stay as quiet as you can and don't question what I do," he told her. Meiran nodded and followed him as he headed for the front entrance.

It was all she could do to keep from questioning him about that. But she didn't say a word and followed him out the building. Staying close, she realized that they were coming close to a small van. Quatre walked over to it, checking it for bugs and traps before motioning her to join him.

Soon, Heero and Duo joined them. Trowa had just come running up to them with Xin Xin clinging to his neck when the group heard a loud explosion. Turning to the place they had just come from, all they found was a fiery mess.

"Why did you do that?" Heero growled, turning to his friend. Duo just looked at him in shock, pulling out a small push button. "I didn't do that," he replied. "The red is still here," he added, pointing to a side of it.

Trowa handed Xin Xin to her mother and asked what they all were thinking, "If Duo didn't, then, who did?"

* * *

**A/N:** This was an interesting chapter to write. I really didn't want to write their mission to get the girls until the next chapter but it didn't work out that way. Some of the missing holes, like what the hell went onwill be answered eventually.

About my site, since some people have asked. I think once I get a few more things on it, that people will really like it. But I think my favorite part of it will be Ask The Guys once it gets a few things. Ask the Guys is where you ask the five pilots any and all questions you have for them. But, you can also ask others questions, like Lady Une or Catherine.

You haven't missed anything yet, but if you want, you can email me any questions you have for them now at letgo180 yahoo .com. You'll obviously have to take out the spaces, or you could just go to my site(or profile)which has a direct link to my email address.

I own nothing in this fic but little Xin Xin who inspires her mother to have faith. Do you guys still think I'm going to kill the little girl off?


	9. Chapter 9

"Oh-five, what's your position?" Heero asked over the radio as Duo drove them. Sitting in the back were Quatre and Trowa on the lookout for anyone coming behind. This left the middle for mother and child who huddled together, knowing they were safe yet wondering where the other member of their small family was.

"Niáng, where's Die?" Xin Xin kept asking over and over. "I don't know," was all her mother could say.

"Oh-five, this is oh-one, what's your position?" Heero repeated as they listened to the crackle. No one answered. Duo looked at Heero who nodded. They began to drive towards the fiery building. Quatre turned to Trowa.

"Is there anything you're not telling us?" He asked his lover. Trowa shook his head. "No, he just handed me the girl and said to run," the clown answered. That seemed to trigger something in Xin Xin's mind because she began to fumble with something around her neck.

"Niáng, Die said this was for you," she pulled something off of her head. It was a chain with small dragon pendant. She recognized it instantly. She had given it to him for his birthday so many years before. Meiran must have let out a sound because the others turned to look at her.

"That idiot," she told herself.

"Oh-five, what is your position?" Heero began to ask again. In moments, they were back to the place they had just escaped from. Meiran held onto her daughter tight enough to make the girl complain as Duo and Heero left the vehicle, Quatre moving to take the wheel. It turned out the inferno was too much for the duo and they came back. They didn't find Wufei as the group scanned the area.

Finally, they decided to head back, sure he was dead. When the group arrived in the nearest town, Quatre immediately headed for the nearest Preventors building. As he pulled into the parking lot, Meiran asked a question. "Why are we here?"

Duo turned to her and replied, "This is where we work and you guys will be safe here."

Suddenly feeling tired, Meiran nodded. Getting out, Meiran held her daughter close. Quatre tried to take the girl, but Meiran didn't let him. She followed the guys into the building and suddenly, collapsed in the building's lobby.

"Dammit," a weak voice cursed. Struggling to stand up, the man looked around trees that covered the area he had landed in. "Definetly not my finest plan," he said. Coughing, he realized that mixed in with the spit was blood.

"Just what I needed," he chuckled to himself before noticing a small shed that had escaped the inferno. It took him awhile to reach the place but when he did, he opened the door and slumped inside, passing out. He didn't know when he came to, but it felt much later in the day. The Chinese guy felt something press against his head and looked into the barrel of a gun. Moments later, a loud crack filled the shed.

Heero sighed, relaxing in the chair he was sitting in. The place where Meiran and Xin Xin had been held had been practically in the guys' backyard, only four miles away and he could see the smoke from the fire still drifting. So now he was at home.

The others were still at the hospital. Heero couldn't stand the places though. He didn't like to be vulnerable and that's exactly what a hospital did. The others had said they would probably stay the night at the place though, so he was left alone in the quiet house.

Of course, he was worried about Wufei, they all were. But, they had scanned the area as best as they could and not found a trace of the Gundam pilot. The group figured he had been caught in the explosion and killed. It was the only explanation they could come up with.

Heero Yuy quickly grabbed a protein bar and ate that as he walked upstairs to his and Duo's room. The place was an interesting site. Heero's was neat, orderly, and looked almost unlived. Duo's was not. Heero was sure if a tornado went through Duo's side it would look neater.

Throwing away the wrapper his snack had came in; Heero changed into his nightclothes and lay on his bed, falling asleep. He woke a few hours later to hear something entering his home. His soldiers' instincts were running on high from the day before and so, it was no surprise that he quickly and quietly left the room, gun in hand.

Minding the squeaky stair, he made his way downstairs. Listening, he heard rustling in the living room. Well aware it could be one of his friends; he walked through the kitchen. The floor was cold against his bare feet but he wasn't concerned with that. In fact, he thought, it's probably better because bare feet made less sound. Moving on, he realized that the light in the living room was on. Someone was sitting on the couch though, making little noise. Creeping up, he pulled his gun out and pointed it directly in the person's face.

"Holy crap!" Duo yelped a gun suddenly in his face. Traveling up, he found himself staring at Heero's face. He watched with eyes wide as Heero lowered the gun. He took waited a few moments and then wiped away some sweat that had formed out of sudden fear.

"What are you doing back here?" Heero asked, wondering why Duo had shown up. Sitting down next to the American, he waited.

Duo didn't answer right away. Instead, he turned on the T.V., a monster movie popping up. With a sigh, he began to watch it. After a few minutes, Heero coughed, scaring Duo once more. "You wanna know why I'm here?"

"That would be nice," Heero answered, his voice holding an amused tone. Yawning, Duo leaned against Heero and answered, "I dunno. I just couldn't stand it there anymore."

The American man yawned again, closing his eyes. It took Heero several minutes to realize that Duo had fallen asleep and was now drooling on his shoulder. Looking at his friend, Heero realized he was tired, too. Before he knew it, Heero Yuy was sleeping, his head lying on top of Duo's.

Meiran's eyes fluttered. Her head felt fuzzy and she was having trouble getting her bearings. She sat up, looking around. She realized that she wasn't at home or at the guy's house. And, Xin Xin was missing.

"Xin Xin," she said worriedly. "Xin Xin," she became louder, voice full of fear. Just then, a nurse walked into the room.

"You're awake. That's good," the nurse said as she made her way to the Chinese woman. Meiran watched her warily. "Where's my daughter?" She demanded.

"She's sleeping right now in the children's ward. The doctors' are running tests on her about her condition," answered the nurse. She turned to the patient and asked, "would you like something to drink?"

Before Meiran could reply, a knock came from the open doorway. She looked and saw a semi-familiar woman standing there.

"Hello Doctor Po," the nurse greeted the newest addition. The nurse left, telling Meiran she would be back with water in a little bit. This left the two women alone.

Neither said a word as the doctor crossed the room, sitting in the chair next to Meiran's bed. Both just stared at the other for many minutes. Finally, Meiran broke the silence. "Who are you?"

"My name is Dr. Sally Po," Sally answered. It took Meiran a few moments to realize she had heard that name before.

"You were there when my daughter was in the hospital the night she was kidnapped," Meiran said more to herself. Sally nodded and neither spoke for a few moments.

"What is what is Wufei to you?" Sally finally asked. Meiran stared at the other woman for a moment, trying to read what Sally's face was saying. It looked, to Meiran that the woman was trying as hard as she could to not betray any emotions.

"He's my husband and Xin Xin's father."

"I know that," Sally sighed, sadness written in her eyes. "But, what is he to you? How do you feel about him?"

"He's an arrogant jerk, a bastard, and yet, he was also a really kind person once you got through his shell. At least, that's the way he was when we were younger. Who knows how he's changed since then," Meiran replied truthfully.

"Still the same," the doctor answered. "Though, it has been nice not to hear him ranting about how the world is full of injustice in the past few years."

Meiran didn't say a word. "Justice?" She finally asked. Looking at Sally, Meiran saw the woman nod her head.

"He's always been concerned about protecting the justice in the world, protecting the weak, and his honor," Sally told the other woman. Just then, the nurse came back with a glass of cold water. "Well then, I must be going," Sally excused herself.

She reached the doorway of the room when she stopped. Meiran was watching her as Sally asked a question that had been bugging her since she had found out.

"Do you love him?"

* * *

**A/N:** I just gotta leave it there. Nice cliffhanger, huh? Oh, and I can't believe how hard it was to write this chapter. This story has been coming to me really easily, but this chapter was tricky. I just didn't know how to write it. But I finally got it done and it seems to be a really good one. Until next time!

Just so you guys know, I am also going away for a week. So, no updates until at least the 18. We're leaving tomorrow, getting back the 16. The 17 is a family reunion and I'll be gone for the night. But, I hope to have written something while away.

Oh, and I own nothing in this fic but Xin Xin who will be back with a much bigger role soon.


	10. Chapter 10

Trowa leaned back in the seat of his car, waiting. The girls were finally being released after a week. Apparently, Xin Xin's condition had disappeared, though the threat that it might return was there. Quatre was with them and Trowa was out in the car, waiting.

His car was too small for them all to come so Duo and Heero had stayed home. When he and Quatre had left, Heero was mentioning something about forcing Duo to do some housework. Needless to say, Trowa was interested as to what their home would look like when they returned.

Wufei was still missing. They feared him dead. If he wasn't then he was sure taking his sweet time coming home. But, after a week it seemed like the Chinese guy was gone for good.

Trowa sighed, and then saw his boyfriend walking his way. Mei was standing to the side and behind Quatre and Xin Xin was between them. The little girl was happy, a goofy grin plastered to her face. When the three of them were settled in his car, Trowa started it up. Watching the lot, he pulled out and drove them to their home.

At an intersection, Trowa had to slam on his brakes. Some jerk tried making a left hand turn in the right lane. Trowa, being in the left lane, was almost hit. Honking his horn a few times, he suppressed the urge to flick the guy off. Some people truly were idiots.

Luckily, nothing else happened and he pulled into their driveway with relative ease. That is, once Duo moved out of the way. Getting out of his car, he watched in amusement as Heero chased Duo around and through the house, gun tucked in his hand.

"Hey, Heero, what did he do now?" Trowa asked, curious. Heero stopped and turned to the group that was watching him.

"He ruined my laptop;" Heero replied calmly, not sounding out of breath one bit. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going to catch him and make him pay."

Trowa nodded and followed Quatre into the house. Mei and her daughter were already inside.

"Niáng, why are we here?" Xin Xin turned and asked her mother. Mei looked at her daughter and replied, "We just are. This is where I have been living while you were in the hospital."

"Why?" The young girl questioned. It was quiet for a few minutes when suddenly; Duo came tearing through the room. Spotting Trowa, he hid behind the guy, holding his friend's shoulders to hang onto the clown.

"Duo Maxwell," a cool voice said from the doorway. Xin Xin looked and saw Heero standing there, guns in hand. He pointed it just to the left of Trowa's head. Slowly, the Japanese man walked over to his two friends.

Before either could react, Duo was in Heero's grasp and Trowa had been moved to the couch. "Now, come with me," Heero could be heard saying as he dragged Duo upstairs to their room. The other four blinked for a few moments.

"Well," Quatre clapped his hands. "Would you guys like something to eat?"

"Yeah, if it's okay with my Niáng," Xin Xin eagerly answered. She looked to her mother, who nodded. The young girl followed the Arabian heir into the kitchen.

"Well, what would you like to have?" He asked the Chinese girl. The little girl put on a serious face that looked just like Wufei's while she thought.

"Hmm, do you have peanut butter?" Xin Xin finally asked. Quatre grinned. Of course they had peanut butter. Duo practically lived off the stuff as crazy as it sounded.

"I think we do," he told the girl, going over to pantry. He came out a few moments later, jar in hand. Xin Xin's smile that she'd had grew more. "Where's your bread and knives?" She asked Quatre. He automatically walked over to the breadbox and pulled out a loaf. "The knives are in this drawer," he told his little guest, pointing to the drawer he was standing in front of. Taking a butter knife out, he set the things down in front of Xin Xin.

"Thank you," she told him, making her sandwich. Quatre watched her with a smile. Mei was really lucky to have such a treasure of a child. But, seeing Xin Xin eat made Quatre hungry. As he made his own sandwich, Xin Xin watched him.

"Where's my Die?" Xin Xin suddenly asked. Quatre dropped the knife he held and it clattered onto the counter.

Not really knowing what to say, he sighed. After a few moments, he turned to the girl and gave her the best reply he knew.

"So, you don't know where he is?" She asked, wanting confirmation. Taking a bite of her sandwich, she watched Quatre nod. Finally, he asked her a question.

"Why do you want to know?" Quatre questioned Xin Xin as he got out a couple of cups. "What would you like to drink?"

"Do you have milk?" The young girl wanted to know. He nodded yes and pulled out a carton. "I want to know because all my life, I've wanted one. And he promised me he'd be there."

"Such sad words coming from such a small girl," the Arabian said to himself as he watched the small child finish her milk. "So," he began. "Would you like to have a tour of the house?"

Xin Xin nodded. Hopping off the chair she sat on, the child took her cup over to the sink. Stretching her arm as far as she could, Xin Xin tried to turn the sink faucet on. "Want some help?" Quatre offered, noting her polite manners. She nodded and he turned it on for her. When the cup was full of water, she dumped the liquid down the drain and turned to her tour guide.

"Let's go," she said. Quatre nodded and began to walk out of the room. Feeling warm skin touch his hand, he looked and saw Xin Xin slipping her hand into his. Quatre gave the young girl a smile, the action reminding him of his nieces and nephews. Speaking of which, one of his nephews, Primero, he wanted to say, had a birthday coming up in the near future. And then, after that would be twin nieces Tri and Enta. And then his sister Nichi. And then Iria. Then more nieces and nephews and sisters. Too many birthdays, he thought with a smile.

"Well, this is obviously the kitchen," began the Arabian, getting a giggle out of the girl. As he led her out of the room and into the hallway, Quatre began to point out bedrooms. Heero's and Duo's was easy to figure out. It had on the door a sign that read: **This room is the home of God of Death! Stay out unless Heero because this is your room too.**

"What's that say?" Xin Xin asked, pointing to the sign on the door. Quatre told her getting another giggle out of her. "Is he crazy?"

"No," Duo's voice suddenly interrupted. The door they were standing in front of opened to reveal the braided pilot standing there. Patting the kid on the head, he looked and acted like nothing had happened between him and Heero. Crossing the hall, the God of Death winked to the house's newest and smallest resident.

Not catching the act, Quatre wondered why she was trying not to laugh. Chalking it up to a kid thing, he moved on, showing her where Quatre and Trowa's room was located. The door had no distinguishing features besides the long deep scratch that had been there since before the men had moved in. And finally, he came to the final room.

"This is where you will sleep with your mom," he told her. Xin Xin looked at the man and asked him whose room it was.

Sighing, Quatre replied. "Well, it's Wufei's."

Just then, Duo came out of another room. Seeing the two in front of Wufei's room, he headed over to them. "So, whatcha doing?" He asked.

"Just showing Xin Xin around the house," Quatre answered. Just then, the door they were standing in front of opened and revealed Mei on the other side.

"Hi Niáng," Xin Xin said to her mother. Mei just smiled at the young girl and watched as her daughter and Quatre went downstairs. A cough startled her a little. Turning to Duo, she found him just standing there.

"She's a great kid, isn't she?" Duo smiled. Mei's small smile grew. "Yes, she is and I thank the Dragon that I have her."

Breathing heavily, the young man stopped. He had suffered injuries before but this time it felt wrong. He was driven by the need to return home. He didn't know what waited for him there. Back a few days ago, something, a piece of debris, had hit him in the head. But he was going to get home.

Sally Po stood in the doorway of her apartment. Lucrezia was gone. The woman had returned home the same day as Sally and Wufei had. Zechs had also come home that day, Une wanting none of them to stay. And so, with all that had happened, Wufei had just disappeared from her life and everyone's. Zechs Merquise or Millardo as he also went by, had also left.

The reason was he and Lucrezia had decided to move into their own apartment with their wedding date nearing. The event would be small. Sally was the Maid of Honor and the Best Man was undecided. Relena would be the other bridesmaid. There was no flower girl or ring bearer. Lady Une and Mariemaia were supposed to come. Of course, all the Gundam pilots were told to attend as well as Dorothy Catalonia. And then there were the few odd relatives that they had. Lucrezia had some cousins on her mother's side, which was German. The Schbeikers', Sally wanted to say. And of course, other friends that the two had made while working.

But now, with no Lucrezia Noin, the place felt so big and empty. It was odd, not seeing her friend's things lying all over the place. The apartment felt so clean and bare. Both women were neat, but Noin had always been the messier of the two. Something in the slight mess made the apartment look better; more lived in and homey.

Sitting down, Sally began to watch TV. There was nothing on, not a channel. Just as she was about to turn the thing off and read a book, her phone rang. Getting up, the half-Chinese woman answered the ringing machine.

"Hello, Sally speaking," she said automatically. No one answered. All she heard was someone breathing heavily.

* * *

**A/N:** That's the end of this chapter. This thing was hard to write, I will admit that. Oh and the names of Quatre's family, Primero, Tri, Enta, and Nichi are all plays off of numbers. Primero means first in Spanish. It should only be used to describe 1am or pm, or like the first day of a month. Ex.: Hoy es primero de augusto. Today isAugust 1st.Tri and Enta go together to make Trienta, which is 30 in Spanish. Nichi is a little harder to figure out. Ichi is 1 in Japanese and Ni is 2 in Japanese. So, I combined the two to get Nichi. It's made up, just so you know.

Why the number puns? Well, most of the main cast of GW have names which are derived from numbers. Heero is Japanese and is supposed to be a form of Hiiro which I believe means one or first. Not quite sure on that. Duo's name is pretty obvious. Trowa's comes from trois which is three in I want to say French. Not too sure on that though. Everyone knows Quatre's name come from Quat(sp?) which is four in French. Wufei's name somehow comes from five in Chinese. I think it's the Wu part of his name. Zechs comes from the Russian would for six. Trieze is 13 in, I believe, Russian. Veinte and Noventa mean 20 and 90 in Spanish. There's also other, just in case you were wondering.

Oh well, I own nothing in this fic except Xin Xin, isn't she so cute!


	11. Chapter 11

"Sir, are you all right?" A woman's voice was asking him. Opening his eyes slightly, he groaned when the light hit them. He instantly closed his eyes and waited a few moments before cautiously reopening them. The light still hurt but not as bad as before. After five minutes or so, the light no longer hurt and he was able to look around.

"Where am I?" His voice croaked out. He could hear footsteps of someone walking and turned to face that direction.

"You're at the hospital of St. John the Baptist," the newcomer replied. He was just out of the young man's line of vision. Blinking, the bedridden man realized the woman standing next to him was an elderly nurse, probably late thirties to early forties.

"Nurse Jen, you are needed at the Nurses' Station;" he heard the intercom say. The woman left; he presumed her to be the nurse wanted.

"Well then," the doctor began, clapping his hands to get the young man's attention. "Let's see what's wrong with you."

"Why am I here?" The young man asked as the doctor checked him over. The other man wrote something down on a notepad as he answered, "A couple of teens found you and brought you in. They didn't know what was wrong but one of them thought you might have a concussion and a sprained ankle."

"Oh," answered the patient as he waited for the doctor to finish. About fifteen minutes later, the doctor was done and told the other man that he'd be back in a little bit.

Not having any thing to do, the young man turned on his room's TV, the other bed empty. Almost immediately, the news popped up where a woman was talking about something that had happened recently.

"And in other news, the fire and explosion that took place three weeks ago has finally been explained. We are feeding you live footage right now of the Preventor's leader, a Miss Une."

It switched over to a young woman, probably in her mid twenties, standing on a podium, and waiting. After a few moments she began to speak.

"The explosion that caused the devasting fire three weeks ago is at fault of the Preventor's. Five of our top agents were sent to recover two hostages who had been taken in revenge for a recent mission."

She stopped for a moment and shuffled some papers. Then she began again. "One of our agents, Preventor Chang, was among the five and has been reported missing. We are assuming he was killed though if you have seen him, report the sighting to our headquarters immediately. That is all."

The screen flipped back to the earlier woman. The woman blinked and said, "That was short but very informational. And that's all we have for now. Please tune in at noon to receive more of today's current events."

* * *

Meiran stretched out on her husband's bed. He had been missing for three weeks now and the four guys as well as she were all certain Wufei was dead. Only Xin Xin held out the belief that her father was alive. Earlier that day, Lady Une had held a short press conference. 

Meiran had the day off and the house was quiet. Xin Xin had no school for the day, it being Saturday and all. Trowa had to go into work today. Heero was gone off to who knows where. And Quatre had taken Xin Xin out to a museum. Duo had tagged along so now, Meiran was the only one left in the house. Suddenly, the phone rang.

"Hello?" She asked, not knowing who was on the other end. "Who is this? Never mind probably one of Quatre's sisters. Is Duo there?" A female voice said quickly.

"No, Duo is not here. May I ask who is calling?" Meiran replied. "Hilde Schbeiker," the other woman answered.

"Okay, I'll tell him you called then," Meiran said as she went to hang up the phone. Suddenly, Hilde's voice called out for her to wait.

"You're Mei, right?"

"Yes," Meiran answered. "Cool, I've wanted to meet you. Can I come over?" The German woman wondered.

"Umm, I guess so," the Chinese woman replied. The German winked and told the other that she'd be over soon. Sure enough, within an hour, the doorbell was ringing.

"Hi, Hilde Schbeiker," the newcomer said, sticking out her hand.

"Chang Mei" answered the young mother. Hilde looked at her oddly. "Are you related to Wufei?" She wondered. Hilde watched her new friend who nodded.

"You must be taking his absence hard then."

"Kind of. There's just so much going on that I haven't really had time to think," Meiran admitted. The other woman nodded. "I was like that when my parents died."

"You're an orphan as well?" Meiran asked with slight surprise. Hilde nodded. "OZ killed them when I was younger."

All was quiet between the two until Hilde asked a question. "My family, no my clan, lived on L5-A0206 and killed themselves during the war to escape being controlled by the military."

Again, it was quiet as both women wondered why they had just told a complete stranger so much about their pasts. And then, Hilde got a good idea. "Why don't you and I get out of this house and do a little shopping?"

"Hmm," Meiran said, thinking. As long as she didn't spend too much, she would okay. There was a definite benefit to living in this house. The Preventors' or Quatre paid all groceries and bills. "I guess," she told the other woman. "As long as I don't spend too much, things should be fine."

Hilde smiled and hooked arms with her newfound friend. They walked out together, waiting for Meiran to lock the door before getting into Hilde's vehicle, a small Jeep. Sitting down next to her friend, Meiran waited for the petite woman to start it up and take them from the house.

* * *

"So, are you having fun?" Quatre turned to his young companion. Xin Xin nodded. Then, she spotted something and began to walk fast. Both men had to run a little to catch up with their young charge as she made her way through the crowd. 

And then, she suddenly stopped. Xin Xin looked up at the display she had seen on the Eve Wars.

"What's that?" She turned to her caretakers' and asked. She was pointing to six-foot tall creations.

"The Gundams," they both replied. Xin Xin watched as each man walked over to one of the things and stared. Duo went to the first one to the right of the one in front. Quatre went to the one behind Duo.

Curious, the girl walked over to the first one and read its nameplate. "Wing Zero, piloted by 0-1."

She moved onto the one Duo stood in front of. "Deathscythe, piloted by -"

"Pilot 0-2," Duo finished. "Well, buddy, it's been awhile," he went on, patting the creation lightly. It was lucky for them that the display was interactive and people were allowed to touch the items. Xin Xin walked over to Quatre.

"Sandrock, piloted by 0-4," she said to herself, reading the brass plate. She moved onto the other side and began on the first thing to the left of Wing Zero. "Heavyarms, piloted by 0-3."

Xin Xin walked to the final thing and read its plate. "Nataku, piloted by 0-5." It took her a few moments to realize what the thing's name was.

"Quatre, Duo, do you know why this thing's name is Nataku?" She asked. Both men looked up and at each other. And then they turned to face the daughter of their friend. They joined her and Duo knelt to face the young girl.

"Well," he began. "These things are called Gundams."

"And there were five young boys who piloted them," Quatre continued. Duo nodded and went on. "And the five boys and five Gundams worked to destroy their enemies. In fact," he said with a slight smirk, "if anyone saw a Gundam, they died."

"But why's this one's name Nataku?" Xin Xin asked, more forcefully this time. Both men had to take a moment to think on that before Quatre started.

"Well, the pilot was a Chinese man," he told her. Xin Xin's eyes brightened. "Do you think I could meet him?" She asked excitedly. The two men looked at each other again, not quite knowing how to break the news to the young girl.

"Well," Quatre began, "you already have. You see, the five pilots were Heero, Trowa, the two of us, and your father."

Xin Xin's face beamed with pride. "Then, this was my Die's?" She asked, wanting confirmation. The two ex-pilots' nodded. She turned to the model of Nataku. "Well then, until my Die returns to take care of you, I'll do it," she told the machine.

Quatre reached out for the girl and touched her on the shoulder. "Xin Xin, your father will probably not be coming back. There was an explosion and he most likely got caught in it," he told the girl, his heart breaking.

"I know," the girl said weakly. "But, I won't give up hope!" The young girl told her caretaker, eyes brimming with tears. "I won't."

She ran off into a large crowd before either man could do a thing.

* * *

"Hey, little girl, why are you crying?" A woman's voice asked. Xin Xin looked up from her spot in the corner of the bathroom. A tall, pretty woman with black hair that looked purplish-blue knelt down in front of her. 

"Because, my Die's alive. He is," she answered. The woman asked Xin Xin what the word Die meant.

"Daddy," the little girl choked out, starting to tear up again. Lucrezia Noin scooped the girl up and gave her a hug.

"Well, who are you here with? I'll bet you that they're really worried about you," Noin told this little girl who couldn't be older than five. Xin Xin wiped her tears away and nodded. Noin set her back down and accepted the child's hand when she offered it.

"So, what's your name? I'm Lucrezia;" the older woman introduced herself as she watched the girl take a drink of water.

"Luh-cre-zah," the girl sounded out. Said woman smiled, this child was cute. "My name is Xin Xin."

"That's a pretty name," Lucrezia told Xin Xin. "Is it Chinese?"

Xin Xin nodded. "Just like me," the girl announced. That caused Noin to laugh. The littlest Chang started to giggle as well. "Well then, what do you say we get something to drink while we look for whoever's watching you?"

"Okay," Xin Xin replied. "But, we need to wait for someone," Noin added.

"Who?" Asked the curious child. "My boyfriend" replied the black haired adult. Xin Xin looked and saw a tall man walking towards them. "Is that him?" She asked, pointing. Noin looked and nodded.

"Hello, Lu," the new man greeted her, kissing his fiance.

"Hi," Xin Xin said shyly, hiding slightly behind Noin's long legs. Millardo Peacecraft looked at the child then at Lucrezia Noin with a questioning look.

"I found her lost and alone," Lucrezia whispered in his ear. "Oh," he mumbled. He knelt down to look at the child.

"What's your name little girl?" He asked. "Xin Xin" muttered the child, feeling shy.

"Well then, why don't we go get that drink now that we're all here," Noin suggested, starting to walk away. Both man and child scrambled off to catch up with her.

While sitting in the food court, Zechs Merquise watched the child take a drink of her juice. Something about her seemed familiar. He wanted to say the girl looked like Chang and not just the fact she was Chinese.

"Duo, we've been looking for an hour now. I'm starting to think someone took her," a familiar male voice said, entering the room.

"Don't worry, Quat, we'll find her. If we didn't Mei'd kill us," joked an equally familiar voice. He didn't have to turn to know who it was. The two men were Duo Maxwell and Quatre Winner. And Zechs was willing to bet they were looking for the little girl sitting across from him.

Xin Xin looked up and around. She recognized those voices. "Duo! Quatre!" She yelled, running towards them, spilling her almost empty drink. Ice splattered onto the table with a little juice. This was quickly fixed with the swipe of a napkin, courtesy of Lucrezia Noin.

She ran straight up to them. The two people, who had been watching her, Preventors' Merquise/Peacecraft and Noin, joined the three. "Hello," Quatre greeted the two.

"Hey, how's it going you two?" Duo said to them. Noin smiled and replied, "Good. Are you the ones watching Xin Xin?"

"Yeah," Duo admitted, scratching the back of his head. "So, where'd you go, anyways?" He turned and asked the small child in front of him.

"I'm not telling," Xin Xin replied. "Not until you admit my Die's alive."

Duo and Quatre exchanged looks. They couldn't because he probably wasn't. Xin Xin tapped her foot and said, "I'm waiting."

"Kid, you are just as stubborn as your old man," Duo told her. Noin and Zechs looked at Quatre, silently asking whom he was talking about. The Arabian glanced to Duo and Xin Xin who were just looking at each other.

"She's Wufei's daughter," he quietly told them. It took them both a few moments to process this information and when they did, looks of shock were written on both of their faces.

"He has a child?" Noin asked incredously. Quatre nodded. "How long have you known?" Zechs questioned.

"Duo was the first to think there might be a connection and that was about a month and a half ago. I've known for sure for about a month," Quatre replied.

"Does Chang know?" Was Zechs next question. Quatre nodded and answered, "Yeah, he found out right before his last official mission."

"The Chinese infiltration," Millardo Peacecraft confirmed. "What about her mother?" Noin butted in, talking about Xin Xin.

"Mei, Wufei's wife of, I think, seven years," Quatre replied.

"Where's she at right now?" The Lighting Baron asked. "Duo and I are watching Xin Xin for her while she's at our house," Quatre mumbled.

"They're living with you?" Noin muttered, looking at Quatre, eyebrow raised. He nodded but before he could speak, a loud crack resounding through the place.

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait. I've been busy with band lately andjust acquired the Sims 2. I created a Past Meets Present house, with Wufei, Meiran, Xin Xin, Heero, Duo, Quatre, and Trowa. And err, would you believe that Wufei and Meiran also had a baby boy today. Yep, they have two kids now. Don't know how that'll affect this story though. It could be very influencing. I own nothing in this fic but little Xin Xin who became the star of the chapter if you ask me. 


	12. Chapter 12

"So, what do you think?" Hilde asked her new friend, holding up a pair of jeans. "Good, practical, reliable?"

"Completely," Meiran answered. The German nodded in agreement. She looked at the tag though and her face fell. "Guess not," the Chinese woman heard her say.

Meiran frowned and asked Hilde why. "Too small, can you believe that?" Hilde Schbeiker replied.

"I should try looking for something for my daughter;" Meiran sighed a little bit later.

"You have a daughter?" Hilde asked, surprised. Meiran nodded and replied, "Yeah, Xin Xin. She's six, almost seven."

Hilde blinked for a moment. "Wow, you must have been young when you had her," she finally said.

"I was fourteen," admitted Meiran. That got a strange look from Hilde. "And her father?"

"My husband," Meiran replied, picking up a shirt and holding it up. "You're married," Hilde said skeptically. This caused Meiran to look at her friend.

"Yes, I have been since I was thirteen." Seeing the look on Hilde's face, she tried to explain. "It was an arranged marriage."

"Oh." And they were silent for a few more moments. Finally, Hilde spoke up with a question. "So, how are you related to Wufei? You never said."

"The bastard is my husband," Meiran replied, saying it jokingly.

"You say that like it's a good thing," Hilde teased. Meiran looked at her new friend for a moment and started to laugh. Hilde joined her and the two walked out of the store. Not having anything better to do, they went back to the house.

Meiran watched as Hilde paced, getting more and more nervous as time went on and Duo didn't appear. After an hour of waiting, Meiran began to worry as well. "Where are they?" She heard Hilde mutter.

Just then, the front door opened. Trowa walked into the room and looked.

"Where's the others?" He asked. Meiran filled him in. As she talked, he went into the kitchen and got something to drink. Bringing the beverage back with him, he turned on the news.

The next few moments were among the worst in his life.

* * *

"Why are you doing this?" Quatre asked the man who held a gun. Their captor frowned and spat on the Arabian's shoe. 

"Scum," he muttered, turning to face the unconscious bodies of Millardo Peacecraft, Lucrezia Noin, and Duo Maxwell. Their captor looked at the young girl who was crying quietly, hugging the Arabian's arm. A glint entered the man's eyes, Quatre noticed as he watched the man. Following the other man's line of vision, he found the man looking at Xin Xin.

The Arabian ex-Gundam pilot put a protective arm around her. He knew what that glint was saying and there was no way Quatre would allow that to happen. Not as long as he was alive.

"Ah," he let out, feeling a sharp, stinging pain sear through his shoulder. "Ah!" Quatre screamed, feeling an even worse pain in his chest. He felt searing hot metal enter his body. Even as he fell backwards, Quatre knew things would only be getting worse.

"Quatre!" Xin Xin cried out. She could see the blood from his two wounds. "You're a bad man!" She yelled out their captor, kicking him in the knee. She ran away after that. The little girl wasn't sure where she was going, she just knew she needed to get there fast. She could hear the bad man's feet chasing her and that scared her.

And then, she ran into the Gundams. She stopped and looked at the one in front of her. Nataku. Her father's.

"Bang-zhu, help," she asked the metal creation. The footsteps were getting closer now. "Help," she said a final time, voice weak as she leaned behind it.

* * *

"We have a hostage situation at the museum behind me. Right now, it is reported there is only one person holding the twenty or so people left inside hostage. Also, we have received word that several of the people have been shot." 

The young man had turned on the news again.

"What the? Oh my, it seems that the man holding the others hostage is being brought out by a young man."

"Yuy."

"A small Chinese child is with him. And now, stretchers are being sent in."

"Xin Xin," he said, sitting up. He sighed, "So, she made it out. Good."

"The stretchers are being brought out. Oh my, it's Quatre Winner and he's been shot. And it looks like Millardo Peacecraft is on another stretcher. There are two more people on the stretchers, a young woman and a young man."

"Noin, and Maxwell."

"Sir, it's time to take your medication," a nurse said, interrupting him.

"Do you have a phone anywhere around here?" The young man asked. She nodded. "Yes, there's one in the nurse's station."

"Can I use it?" He wanted to know. "No, it's for faculty only," she told him. "Now, take your medication."

"Then, I want to call this number and tell whoever answers it to come here. Tell the person it's Dragon," he ordered. The nurse smiled. "Okay, now take your medicine."

* * *

"Is it fatal?" A blonde woman was asking a nurse, talking about the four people who had been shot. It was Relena Peacecraft, wanting to know about her brother. 

She was about to get an answer when the doors opened and closed. Glancing, she saw Trowa Barton, Hilde, and a Chinese woman heading their way.

The nurse answered her question and Relena sighed in relief. Relena walked over to the three and greeted her two friends. And then she turned towards the new girl. "You look familiar. Have we met before?"

"Possibly," Meiran answered. "My name is Mei."

Relena frowned for a moment. "Oh, you're that waitress from the Chinese restaurant."

Before Meiran could reply, the doors opened and Heero walked out. Beside him was Xin Xin.

"Niáng!" She yelled, racing over to her mother. "Oh, my baby," the woman muttered, holding her child tight.

"Is this your daughter?" Hilde's voice interrupted. Meiran nodded. "Xin Xin, this is Hilde. Hilde, this is my daughter, Xin Xin."

"You know kid, you look a lot like your father," Hilde replied after a moment. "You know him?" Xin Xin asked, eyes wide. Hilde nodded. "Yeah, I've met him a few different times."

"Neato!" Xin Xin's voice rang as she squirmed away from her mother. She looked at Trowa and made her way over.

"Quatre said to tell you he's okay," the young girl told the tall clown. He looked down at her and smiled. "Thank you," Trowa replied.

"What about the others?" Hilde asked. Heero answered her. "Noin and Millardo are both resting at the moment. Duo is in surgery, getting the bullet pulled out and Quatre's getting ready for it."

"So, they're all going to be fine?" Trowa summed it up. Heero nodded. Each adult sighed in relief. He sat down in a chair. Trowa sat next to his friend, Xin Xin settled between the two, leaning against Trowa. She kept yawning, obviously the day's events having worn her out. Hilde had wandered off to find something to eat with Relena Peacecraft. Not wanting to stand, Meiran sat down next to Heero.

"What happened?" She asked him, her daughter now asleep. Trowa shifted to both hear better and to make it more comfortable for both him and Xin Xin.

"I heard shots while at the place and reacted accordingly," was all they got out of him.

* * *

"So, do you remember the way back?" Hilde turned and asked Relena. The two were now lost in the hospitals halls. 

"Um, I think that the elevators are that way," Relena answered, pointing to the hallway on her left. The other woman shrugged and they began to walk that way. As she was walking by the rooms, doors open, Hilde stopped.

Turning around, she backtracked to the room the two had just passed. "Wufei?" She asked, shocked.

He turned to look at her. "Schbeiker?"

"It is you. This is amazing," Hilde told herself. "I'll be back soon," she told the Chinese man. Taking a look at the room number, Hilde dragged the shocked Relena off. Amazingly enough, the direction they had been heading in was the correct direction.

* * *

"Mei!" Meiran heard her name yelled. She turned to see Hilde and Ms. Peacecraft coming towards them. Hilde grabbed the Chinese woman's arm and began to drag her away. 

"What was that all about?" Heero turned and asked Relena.

"It's Wufei. He's here," she muttered. Both ex-pilots looked at each other and nodded. Trowa picked Xin Xin up and they quickly rushed off to follow Hilde.

"Huh? Trowa? Heero? Where's my Niáng?" Xin Xin asked as they followed. Apparently, she had woken up. Neither answered and she had to be content with waiting until Trowa set her down. Yawning, she buried her face into Trowa's chest.

Meiran had no idea why she was being dragged but stopped when she saw who Hilde wanted her to see. Stepping into the room, she looked in shock as he looked back.

"You, you," she stuttered, walking over to him. "You, ASSHOLE!"

She began to pound weakly on his chest. "You asshole!"

"Stop it, woman," he ordered. Meiran growled at him. "You asshole, don't you ever dare do something like that again!"

She was vaguely aware of Hilde leaving. They both were. "Don't you ever do something so stupid!" Now tears were starting to form. "You idiot!"

"Woman, stop it," he warned, grabbing one of her hands and holding it. "Didn't you think of your daughter?" She asked, looking him in the eyes. He didn't answer, just looked back at her. "Didn't you think of me?"

"Die!" A high pitched voice broke the tension between the two. Xin Xin came running towards the bed-bound man. She scrambled onto the bed and hugged her father. Heero and Trowa, knowing they were intruding on this family moment, left.

"I never gave up on you," she told her father. "Everyone else said you were dead but I didn't think so."

Meiran watched as her husband simply looked at their daughter, not saying a word. He was just looking at her, listening as Xin Xin filled him in on all that had happened. Finally, the young girl began to yawn again, leaning against her father, murmuring. With a final yawn, Xin Xin was asleep on Wufei's chest.

"I, I wasn't thinking," he finally said, filling in the silence. The Chinese woman snorted. "Obviously."

Meiran sat down in the chair next to his bed, neither saying a word. Finally, Meiran had to ask. "Why are you here?"

"Because the place didn't want to let me go until either I could take care of myself or someone came that could do the job;" he answered, shifting the young girl into a more comfortable position than right on top of his chest.

"And why not?" His wife questioned. He sighed and replied, "Because, I had a concussion and my ankle sprained almost to the point of a massive fracture so I have to stay off of it."

She started to laugh. "The Great Wufei brought done by a hurt ankle."

"Shut up," growled the man. Meiran shook her head and told him no. Just then Xin Xin moved, digging her small, thin elbows into Wufei's ribs, causing him to wince. He didn't say a word, just adjusted to the child. And then he yawned.

"Damn," he muttered. "Medication kicking in," he murmured, explaining as he began to drift off into sleep.

"Then go to sleep, asshole," Meiran told him as he fought the medication. He yawned again, snoring softly within five minutes.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, Wufei lived. And, I dedicated a nice scene to him and Meiran. Though, I think my favorite part of this whole story is going to be that last one with Meiran and Wufei. Especially when they first re-meet in this chapter and she calls him an asshole. I so love the way that came out. Also, it may be awhile before another chapter comes out after 13 which I expect to have up Friday or Sunday night. I start my sophmore year on Monday which will cut into my writing time quite a bit. Especially with me on the school's newspaper this year.

Oh, and I own nothing in this fic but Xin Xin, who may be, oddly enough, my favorite character of the whole story.

* * *

Chinese Glossary

Bang-zhu -Help


	13. Chapter 13

Heero, Trowa, Hilde, and Relena were waiting in the hospital, wondering when they would get to see their friends and family. But it was late. So late in fact, that even Heero was starting to show signs of wear. And then, Hilde accidentally nodded off, head on Heero's shoulder.

He glanced at her and felt like doing the same. Just going to sleep. But, first, he had to get Hilde off of his shoulder.

"Sorry," she apologized soon after he had woken her. "I'm just so tired," she said, yawning again. He nodded. "It has been a long day," Heero replied, standing up. He left before anyone could ask where he was going and the group did not see him until later the next day.

Hilde yawned again. Giving Trowa and Relena a sheepish look, the German woman moved onto the floor, using her jacket as a pillow.

"If you want to sleep too, you can," Trowa finally said, breaking the silence that had drifted upon the two. The woman shook her head. "No, I'm not tired," she told him.

"Okay," he answered, letting silence drift over them again.

Near two in the morning, when all three of them had drifted off, Hilde on the floor, Trowa and Relena using the other as a support in the chairs, the doors opened again. It was the nighttime head nurse and she was making the rounds. Already told of the people in this waiting room, she gave them a quick smile and headed down to check the next floor. The next couple floors were quiet. It wasn't until she reached the fourth that she heard something.

"You idiot, don't ever do something so stupid again," Meiran told her husband, yawning. Laying her head down on his bed, she was asleep in moments.

The nurse looked into Mr. Chang's room and saw a young Chinese woman asleep, her head resting on his bed. She walked over to the woman and saw a young child curled up in bed next to Mr. Chang. And then, Mr. Chang saw her.

"You know, your visitors shouldn't be here," the nurse told him. He just looked back at her. "But, this is the first time I've seen you have someone here, so I'll let it slid."

And she left.

* * *

"Huh? Where am I?" Meiran wondered the next morning, feeling a horrible pain in her back and neck. "Where's Xin Xin?" She asked, sitting up. Wufei looked up from his book. "Trowa came by and got her an hour ago." 

"Oh," Meiran replied. "What time is it?"

"Noon. And before you ask, Winner and Maxwell are going to be fine. So will Zechs and Noin."

"Zechs and Noin?" She repeated, not knowing who he was talking about.

"Two people I work with," Wufei answered, taking his glasses off. Just then, Meiran's stomach growled. Her face grew a red tint of embarrassment. He just smirked. "Go get something to eat," Wufei ordered. "I'm not going anywhere."

She got up and glared at him. "You're such an ass."

"Takes one to know one," he shot back. Rolling her eyes, knowing that the cause was lost, Meiran left the room. Asking a nurse where the cafeteria was, she went down to the large room. Grabbing a sandwich from the line, she spotted a familiar bang. Heading to that table, she sat down next to Hilde.

"Niáng!" Xin Xin said happily. "You're awake."

"Looks like," Meiran answered, taking a bite. No one said a word; they just sat and ate. Well, Xin Xin talked.

* * *

"So, Mr. Chang, it looks like you're finally going home," one of the nurses told Wufei as he left with his friends. He was on a pair of crutches and already disliking them greatly. Getting into the elevator first, he shifted so that there would be more room in the large creation. Duo was coming home as well, his gunshot wound not as serious as it was thought. Zechs and Noin had left earlier with Sally and Relena. In fact, out of the five, only Quatre has to remain, having taken two bullets, one, which had almost gone through his right lung. 

But, there were still quite a few people in the metal contraption. Hilde, Trowa, Heero, Duo, Xin Xin, Meiran, and Wufei himself were all crammed into it. And considering one of them was on crutches, well, that didn't help matters one bit. And things only got worse when the group reached the parking lot. Thankfully, both Heero and Trowa had brought their cars so the large group was not forced to attempt to try cramming into either vehicle.

Trowa, Meiran, and Xin Xin all clambered into Trowa's car. Duo and Hilde joined Heero in his car. Now, Wufei could choose which car he wanted but he knew if he wasn't in Trowa's, there would be hell to pay. In the form of one angry Chinese woman.

"Why did we stop?" Wufei demanded to know. Trowa had pulled into a gas station, Heero tailing them. He didn't answer. Instead, Meiran turned and asked him, "Is there anything you want?"

"I'm thirsty. And hun'ry," Xin Xin told her mother, snuggling up against her father. The six-year-old was starting to get tired for some reason. And it was then that Wufei noticed his wife was not looking very awake either.

"We're not stopping for a few hours," Meiran told Wufei, still waiting. He sighed. "Then just get me something to eat and drink."

"Anything?" She asked, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Within reason," he told her. She nodded, getting out of the vehicle and heading into the gas station that the others had disappeared into. He could see Duo sitting in the other car, waiting. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the other four people emerged from the place. Heero and Hilde headed towards his car, carrying a bunch of food and drinks.

Trowa and Meiran had an equally large amount of things that they brought back. Most of it went, Wufei noticed, in the trunk. Xin Xin was now asleep and Wufei was still no closer to the answers than he had been.

He shivered slightly when the doors were opened, the cold January air biting through his coat. He frowned for a moment. It was January, right?

"What's the date?" He wondered aloud. Meiran turned and smirked, handing him a drink. "Three days before you turn twenty-two."

Wufei blinked for a moment. It was late February already? The time sure flew. It seemed like just last week Duo was dragging them to go to that Chinese restaurant.

Trowa started the car, pulling in behind Heero's as they drove away from the place. "So, where are we going?" He asked.

"One of the Winner estates that's up in the mountains," Trowa supplied. "Lady Une herself will be escortingQuatre here tonight."

"Why?" Wufei wondered.

"Because, there's still people after you. And they won't hesitate to capture you;" Meiran answered, looking back at him. "They're the ones that shot Duo and Quatre. And the ones who kidnapped us."

Hours later, the two cars pulled into a long, windy drive. The ground was covered in gravel, making the going slow and loud but since only the Maganacs were at the estate, it didn't matter. Finally though, after twenty minutes, the two cars pulled up in front of a nice sized house. It was borderline large, just to give you a size.

The front door opened to reveal Quatre standing there, smiling. Trowa's eyes widened and he ran over to the young man. The others watched as the two embraced.

"What are you doing here?" Muttered the clown.

"Well, I was able to get my sister Iria to get me out of there. And then I pulled a few strings and was able to use the Winner helicopter," Quatre answered. They talked to each other for several minutes, never letting go of each other.

"Woman, help me out," Wufei requested, having trouble getting out of the vehicle with one semi-sleepy child and a pair of crutches. Meiran turned to face him. "Ask nicely and use my name," she answered, causing him to growl angry.

The other three people were now getting things out of Heero's trunk which was revealed to be stuffed full of just about everything. And then, a large truck pulled in behind both cars. The driver was Rashid.

At this time, some of the Maganacs had appeared and began helping him carry what was in the truck in.

"What are we doing, moving in?" Wufei wondered to himself. "Yeah, we are." He would have been startled if he hadn't known Meiran was standing behind him. He had finally relented, asking for her help and using her name. She was now in the process of helping him out, getting his crutches for him.

Taking the most precious thing she had, Meiran walked beside Wufei as they went into the house. The others were sitting in the living room, all of everyone's stuff, except Quatre and Trowa's, in the room. The Maganacs had already taken and put their stuff in the master bedroom.

"So," Duo began once the Changs' were settled down, "who goes where?"

Quatre decided to speak at that time. "There's ten bedrooms. Four of these are in use by the Maganacs. One is for Trowa and myself. That leaves four rooms left, so a few are going to have to double up."

"Heero and me can share," Duo added. "We always seem to anyways."

"Okay," Quatre replied. He then pulled out a blueprint of the house that had the basic layout. "Two of the other three rooms are pretty small. They're made for only one person but the third room is pretty nice sized."

"It's the only room downstairs, too, out of the three, so Wufei, you're going to want to take it," Quatre added after a few moments of looking at the blueprint. The Chinese man started to complain when Meiran cut him off.

"You're on crutches. If you try going up and down stairs, you're liable to kill yourself. You're staying on the ground floor," she informed him.

"Woman," he began, growling in anger. His wife just looked at him, face unreadable. "No."

Wufei muttered something under his breath but didn't say anything more. Across from him, sitting on the couch, Duo was having trouble holding back laughter. He turned to Heero and whispered in the Japanese man's ear, "Never thought I'd see the day Wufei'd be beat by a woman."

This caused Heero to snort. The others, having no idea of what Duo had said looked at Heero oddly for a moment then went back to what they were doing.

"New day and age," Heero answered quietly after a few minutes. Duo nodded and added, "That it is."

At that time, Xin Xin began to stir. She had been lying with her head on Meiran's lap, the rest of her sprawled across the floor where her mother had sat down. On Meiran's other side sat Hilde, who had been playing with the small girl's shoulder length black hair. Rashid was standing in the doorway, while Quatre and Trowa had taken up residence on the loveseat. Duo and Heero were sitting on the couch. Wufei had taken the armchair.

"Well, just so you guys know, I'm not sharing a room with Chang," Hilde announced. Wufei nodded in agreement. After a few moments he sighed, noticing the inevitable.

"Well, woman, I guess you and I will have to share a room," he finally said. Meiran nodded, she had noticed that would probably happen as well.

* * *

A few hours later, everyone was for the most part settled in. At the moment, most of the people were in the house's game room. Duo and Hilde had challenged Trowa and Heero to a game of foosball. Xin Xin was watching, amazed at how fast they could move. From the sounds of it, Duo and Hilde were winning too. Quatre was reading some papers. Rashid and the ten Maganacs that had offered to come were off doing various things around the house. Only Wufei and Meiran were missing. 

"Those two have been missing for a long time, don't you guys think?" Duo asked a little while later. He and Hilde had beaten the other two pretty good. Now the group was watching a movie. Quatre and Trowa were cuddled on the couch, paying more attention to each other than the movie. Heero actually seemed to be paying attention to the thing. That was surprising since it was an old kid's movie. The thing was extremely out of date. The movie they were watching was this one that had been made back in like, 1995 AD. It was about four or five hundred years old, at least.

The movie was about this lion that thought he had killed his dad. And after that, Duo had kind of lost attention in it. Xin Xin was caught up in it though. She didn't even notice Hilde playing with her hair again. Half of the child's head was done in braids, the German woman still working on it.

No one answered Duo's question and feeling lazy, he decided to start paying attention to the movie.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Wufei asked, watching Meiran as she walked around their room. She kept changing things. 

"Fixing this room," she replied, looking around the room. "Why?" Wufei wondered.

"Because, I want to," was the answer he got. Wufei decided to keep his mouth shut and just watched her. Actually, it was kind of funny. She'd move something one moment, spy something else the next, and so on. She'd probably lapped the room eight or nine times now.

"So, is this a new habit of yours or something? I don't remember you acting like this back on the colony," he finally commented. She sighed, sitting down on the bed next to him. Wufei had his leg propped up and was relaxing on the bed, which, he found to be quite comfortable. Leaning back, she sighed, feeling safe and for some reason at peace.

What she had just been doing was a new habit she had picked up after going out on her own. But right now, she was just so tired. Not meaning to, she yawned.

"When was the last time you slept? You're acting like you haven't slept in days," he told her. She mumbled, "I haven't."

"Good lord, woman, how do you expect to take care of Xin Xin if you don't rest?" He questioned her. She didn't answer. Her body shifted, leaning against his.

"Stupid woman," he told her sleeping form. He hugged her close. He wasn't worried about anything at the moment. Because, for some reason, this felt so right to Wufei.

* * *

**A/N:** Now, who doesn't like the ending to this chapter? I certainly love the way it ended. I'm kind of afraid that Wufei is acting a little out of character right at the end, but in a way, to quote my own words, it just felt so right.

I've been having a lot of trouble lately with how I was going to handle Wufei and Meiran. Like, eventually, they would have to share a room. They were forced to in this. Now, afterwards, I'm still having trouble with how to deal. But, a relationship is starting to grow. That much is evident in the fact that Wufei let himself be bossed around by Meiran.

Could you see him doing that if, say Relena, was the one doing the bossing? And, he wasn't annoyed by Meiran's little annoying habit. On the contrary, he found it amusing. So, there is something there. It's slow, I will admit to that, but hey, this is a hard pairing to write. It may not seem like it, but it is.

There's next to nothing information wise on Meiran and Wufei is a hard character to write no matter what. I mean, most people seem to think Wufei in character means having him rant on the weakness of others, hate women, build shrines to his Gundam (which is named after his wife), and rant about justice.

I hate to say it, but no actually I'm proud to say that that is not Wufei. I will admit he's kind of a bastard. But that's part of his character. That's what makes him Wufei. Just like how Trowa's silence defines Trowa.

Oh, sorry for the mini-rant. I don't own anything in this fic but Xin Xin.


	14. Chapter 14

Meiran woke up, not wanting to open her eyes. She was leaning against this nice pillow. Firm, but not hard, warm, and comfortable. All she wanted was to sleep some more. But something didn't fit in right. She remembered sitting next to Wufei on the bed but not much after that. She shifted slightly, trying to get even more comfortable.

"So, you're awake now," she heard Wufei's voice say. Looking up, she realized that her nice pillow had been his chest. Her face took a red tint as she quickly sat up.

"How long was I asleep for?" She asked, her face turned so he wouldn't see her face and its red hue.

"Oh, I'd say about an hour or so," he answered, his voice holding an amused tone. "Quatre brought some food by a little bit ago. I saved some for you."

"Thanks," Meiran told him, still slightly embarrassed. Seeing the tray sitting on the nightstand, she got up and took the tray. It looked like someone had eaten a little, but not much. Only a little of the rice had been touched and the same for the fish.

"Weren't you hungry?" She asked, sitting down on the other end of the bed. Wufei didn't answer, just watched her. It was a little unnerving but at the same time, it made her feel safe. But, even though he didn't answer, his stomach did.

"So, you are hungry," Meiran smirked. She took a piece of the fish and made a big deal out of eating it, smirking as he watched hungrily. "Want some?" She finally asked. He didn't answer but she still slid over so that they could share.

Not quite knowing what was coming over her, she found herself feeding him a bite of the fish. He looked at her oddly and replied, "I can feed myself."

"Then why don't you?" She asked. He fed her a bite. "I do," he argued.

"So, then do it," she replied, feeding him another.

"Then stop," he told her, giving her a bite of rice. Noticing the change of food, she answered, "but this is so much more fun."

Meiran feed him the bit of rice she had. "It's annoying," he informed her, giving her a piece of fish.

"If it's so annoying, then why don't you stop feeding me?" She questioned, making him take a bite of rice.

"You started it," he argued, giving her some rice as well. "You didn't have to continue," Meiran replied, giving him a bite of fish.

"So why don't you stop?" He said as he gave her more rice. She gave him rice as she answered, "Not until you do."

"What if I never do?" He asked, smirking as he feed her the last bite of fish. "Well, that's not going to be a problem since it's almost gone," she replied, giving him a little rice.

"And now it is," Wufei told her as he fed the woman the last bite of rice.

* * *

"So, you two finally decided to show your faces, huh?" Duo commented a little while later when they brought the empty tray out. Neither said a word to him. It was late, around ten, so most of the people had gone to sleep already. Certainly Xin Xin had. 

"You two do something naughty?" Duo continued as he followed Wufei. Wufei didn't answer, just hobbled over the refrigerator. Mei had gone to check on her daughter, so it was just the two guys. "No answer. Guess you did," the American went on, smirking.

"Will you shut up?" Wufei finally turned and asked. "We did nothing and even if we did, it's not like it would be wrong."

Wufei had moved onto the cabinet by now and had found the many boxes of cold cereal. Choosing one, he poured himself a bowl. At that moment, Mei came down the stairs, joining the two men. Seeing what Wufei had, she got herself some cereal as well.

"You know you wouldn't be hungry if you hadn't insisted on sharing," Wufei commented. "Well," Mei replied, "you weren't complaining."

"It wasn't like I had much of a choice;" Duo heard his friend answer. The two continued on for several more minutes, speaking in code. Wufei said nothing had happened between the two. Yeah, right, something had happened between these two and Duo would find out if it killed him.

* * *

"So." 

"So."

The two were just staring at the bed. Earlier, both with Meiran's nap and the food, it had seemed so natural what was happening. But right now, the two were feeling quite uncomfortable. They were like strangers practically. And yet, they weren't.

Neither had a clue as to what to do. Would it be acceptable to sleep in their normal night clothing? Probably not. Well, actually, it would be more uncomfortable than unacceptable.

"Why don't I just grab a pillow and sleep on the floor?" Meiran proposed after a few moments of silence. Wufei turned to look at her. "And just why would you do that?"

"Well, its obvious both of us would be uncomfortable sleeping together and you're injured," she told him, grabbing a pillow. Feeling a hand on her arm, she saw him looking at her.

"And if you sleep on the floor, you'll be complaining for the next few days. Just get into bed," he told her. He had already situated himself on the bed.

"But," she started to say.

"Just do it," he sighed, pulling off his over shirt to reveal he was wearing a tank top underneath. Meiran hesitated for a moment before taking something from one of the dresser drawers and disappearing down the hall. She came back a few minutes later wearing a small tank top and a pair of cotton pants. She kept blushing as she slipped under the bed's covers.

Since the light was on his side of the bed, Wufei turned it off and only the moon let light into their room. It wasn't long before Meiran had fallen back asleep. She was more tired than she had thought, he said to himself.

This gave him an ample opportunity to look at her. Meiran had certainly grown up since she was thirteen. Meiran had been going through a lot of changes at the time he had thought her killed. She had started to get curves when they had been forced apart. With her being such a small, thin woman, this only amplified them. And another thing he knew that had done much to her figure was the birth of their daughter.

Xin Xin. Faith. His daughter's name meant faith. He had no idea why she was named so. And he wasn't sure he wanted to know. The name held something for his wife though, or else, she would never have named Xin Xin so.

Yawning, he was soon asleep. When he woke the next morning, Meiran was pulled up beside him. His arms were locked around her small waist and her fingers had somehow become intertwined with his. Both were on their sides, his face buried in her hair. It smells sweet, like wildflowers, he thought. The smell comforted him and he began to fall asleep again.

* * *

Later on, Meiran woke up. By now, the two of them had shifted so that she was now facing him. His arms were still around her waist but now she had hers holding onto him. His face was peaceful, not quite happy, but not sad either. 

His chest, which she was held up against, was well muscled and firm. He had definitely been keeping in shape, she noted with some satisfaction. So had she, of course. And, he had really become handsome over the years.

When they were younger, she had thought him as being cute, in a kid's crush sort of way. She knew that when they were younger he would be good looking. Both his brother and his father had been proof of that. Still, she had no idea how good-looking he would really become. And after she had learned of her colony's destruction, she had thought she'd be a widow.

She snuggled in closer, feeling safe within the arms of her husband, not wanting to leave his safe embrace.

* * *

It was seven when Wufei finally woke again. Sometime since three, they had shifted so that he had his wife facing him. It took a few moments, but he was able to untangle himself from her. Knowing she was asleep, he quickly dressed in new clothes and left the room, hobbling on his crutches. 

"Morning Wu," Duo greeted his friend as he walked in. Heero and Trowa were already at the table, drinking coffee and eating toast. It looked like the others had yet to awake which was fine with Wufei. Getting a cup of coffee, he somehow managed to get it over to the table. Though, he managed to spill some over his hand and onto the floor. This caused a few choice words to be said.

Duo and the other two pilots looked at him. It wasn't every day they got to see Wufei struggle to do normal things. Sure, it was a little mean, just watching him, but he wasn't asking for help.

He finally managed to get over to the table and drink his coffee. Trowa had gotten a newspaper from somewhere and had split it with Duo who was checking sports scores. And so, it was quiet for awhile.

Hilde was the next one to come down. She poured herself a bowl of cereal and began to chat with Duo. Those two certainly had more than enough energy in the mornings, Wufei thought as he grabbed an apple out of the fruit basket.

"Wufei, that's not a wise idea," Trowa told his friend, seeing him with an apple. Wufei looked at his friend critically. "And why not?"

"Because, the fruits wax," the normally silent man replied. Wufei put it back and took another drink of coffee. It was about that time that Heero left. He didn't say anything, just left. That was the Heero Yuy way.

Quatre came down then. He looked cheerful and perky but he always looked that way. It took years of knowing the guy to be able to see past the façade he naturally had. Thus, the remaining three pilots were able to see that the blond Arabian was actually just waking up. And the three of them didn't say a word because Quatre was a horrible morning person until he had his cup of coffee.

Quatre still preferred tea but over the years, the other four pilots had been able to get him to try coffee. And, since one of them was always up before Quatre, that was what was made. By now, Wufei had finished his cup and was putting it in the sink.

Now that it was empty, it was much easier to transport the cup around. After that was done, Wufei went to the house's study. Since he couldn't do his katas or just about anything physical, he might as well read.

* * *

Meiran yawned, almost immediately noticing the lack of warmth Wufei's body had given off. She sat up and swung her feet over to dangle over the side of the bed. It took her a few minutes to muster up the energy to leave the bed, but she did. 

Picking out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, Meiran began to undress. Not bothering to lock the door, she grew white when the door suddenly opened. It was Wufei.

As he took in the situation, he grew white. His eyes widened. And, he was having trouble not staring at her body that was half-naked.

* * *

**A/N:** This is definitely the Wu/Mei chapter everyone has been waiting for. It's focused almost solely of the two and lots of things happened. We got to see them flirt, which was fun to write, and how they handled the whole sleeping together issue. But, I like the like the ending. It's going to be fun how she responds. But would you believe it took me less than twelve hours to write this chapter?

And I'm so sorry for the long wait. School started last Monday as has so cut into my reading and writing time. But I think that I'll be able to pick up a schedule soon of maybe two updates a week.

I, unfortunately, do not own anything in the fic except Xin Xin.


	15. Chapter 15

Wufei found himself standing out in the hall, waiting for Meiran to finish dressing. Just moments before, he had walked in on her changing. She had been almost naked, just putting on her panties when he had barged in. She yelled at him to get out, and he did, hoping that his nose wouldn't start to bleed like it was threatening to.

He had only wanted to get his glasses and yet, had been greeted with that. Not that he minded. She had a nice body, he admitted, his face turning red.

"Thinking naughty thoughts?" Duo's voice suddenly said in his ear. The American startled his friend. This caused Wufei to drop one of his crutches, which hit Duo in the face. But, this also left Wufei unbalanced and he started to fall. But, he didn't hit the floor. Something soft had landed between him and it.

"Can you get off of me?" An annoyed female voice requested. He held back a groan. He had landed on Meiran who must have come out of the room at just that moment.

"If I could, I would," he answered. He was able to shift slightly, giving her enough room to stand up. But, trying to get himself up, now that was another thing entirely. He looked at his friend and wife for a moment, not saying a word.

"You can't get up, can you?" Meiran asked, a smirk on her face. Duo laughed and said, "I've fallen and I can't get up!"

The two burst out laughing while Wufei glared at them. By this time, Trowa had appeared, wondering why they were being so loud. Seeing Wufei on the floor, the clown helped his friend up.

"Thank you," Wufei told his friend. He glared at the other two and hobbled off, glasses forgotten.

"So, what was wrong with him?" Trowa wondered. Duo replied between laughs, "Just a bruised ego."

* * *

"I'm bored," Xin Xin's voice announced. She had been watching Duo play video games with Heero for an hour now. Her mother was talking to Hilde about grown-up things. And everyone else was reading. 

And then she got an idea. Walking over to her father, she asked him a question.

"In two days. Why?" Wufei answered, not looking up from his book. "I was just wond'ring," the girl replied. She scampered off to the room that she had been staying in.

Sitting on her bed, she looked at the small dragon she had gotten as a young child. She didn't know where it came from or who gave it to her, but the thing was her favorite. "Guess what Mr. Dragon, my Die's birthday is in two days."

The thing didn't answer, but she must have heard something because the young girl continued. "Yeah, I don't know what I'm going to get him."

Again, there was silence as both the child and dragon thought. A little while later, her mother walked in.

"Dinner's ready, Xin Xin."

"Okay, Niáng," the girl replied, following her mother out of the room. The girl saw an empty spot next to her father and took it. Across from Xin Xin, Hilde sat. Next to Hilde was Niáng. And then Trowa and Quatre were sitting at one end. At the other end were Duo and Heero.

* * *

"Pass the potatoes, please," Quatre requested. 

"Well, did you have fun today, Wufei?" Duo asked. Wufei's face started to turn red. "What happened?" Hilde interjected.

"Oh, Mr. Stick Up His Ass fell on to the floor and couldn't get up," Duo answered.

"Niáng, what's an ass?" Xin Xin wondered.

"Maxwell, watch your language," Wufei yelled at his friend.

"Can someone," Quatre began but was drowned out.

"Like you're any better," Duo snorted.

"You sound like a pig when you do that," Heero informed the man sitting next to him. This caused a few smiles to crack.

"At least I don't have a stalker," the American shot back.

"She's not my stalker. Not anymore," Heero calmly answered, taking a bite of his dinner.

"Yes, know it's the other way around," Wufei smirked. This caused Heero to glare at the Chinese man.

"Potatoes," Quatre finished, unheard by the others.

"At least I'm not suicidal;" Heero answered after a few moments. Trowa, Wufei, and Duo all looked at him surprised.

"I thought Heero Yuy and suicide were synonyms," Trowa supplied. "Damn, he's got that right," Duo said as he laughed.

"Niáng, what's damn?" Xin Xin's voice cut through.

"Duo, please watch your language," Meiran requested. "Yes, listen to the woman, Maxwell," Wufei put in.

"Will someone please," Quatre began. No one was listening, just bickering amongst themselves. The Arabian had had enough.

"Everyone shut up!" He hollered over them. Each person looked at him, not used to such a sweet and quiet person to burst out yelling like that.

"Much better," Quatre sighed. "Now, will someone please pass me the potatoes?"

* * *

"Night, Xin Xin," Meiran told her daughter, giving the girl a kiss on the forehead. "'Night, Niáng," Meiran heard as she left the room. 

Heading down to the game room, Meiran found Heero, Trowa, Duo, and Hilde currently participating in a foosball game. Quatre was watching them. Joining the large group, she watched. Not quite getting what was happening, she asked the Arabian to explain the game to her. This got her a few odd stares from the rest of the people but the Arabian obliged. After Hilde and Duo had beaten the other two, Meiran noticed that she hadn't seen her husband since dinner.

"Where's Wufei at?" She asked them.

"The Wu-man didn't say. He just kind of went off on his own," Duo informed her from where he lay on the couch. He started laughing at just that moment. Hilde had started to tickle him and the man, as the others found out, was very ticklish.

Meiran nodded and sat down in one of the room's chairs. It was hard to keep from yawning. Looking at the clock, she found it to be almost eleven-thirty. She realized Heero had left already. Quatre and Trowa were snuggling and didn't look like they'd be leaving anytime soon.  
"Listen, I'm going to bed. See you guys tomorrow," Meiran told her friends. Duo and Hilde didn't say word, a tickle fight going on between the two. And the other two men in the room could have been on Jupiter for all they were doing.

"So tired," she said to herself, walking down the hall. Stopping to check on her daughter who was sleeping peacefully, Meiran was now ready to just drop off and sleep. She noted that her husband was already asleep. Not bothering to change, she slipped into bed next to him.

* * *

The smell of something burning hit her nose. Skin, she thought, her body feeling hot and cold all at once. And then, the sweet smell of flowers. Someone was there though. Their presence was comforting, but then, gone. 

"We can't let him know," a voice said as she passed off into darkness. And then, she was alone. Pain was everywhere. And then, those horrible words. She screamed.

"Shh," Meiran heard someone whisper in her ear. She was being held from behind but unlike in her dream, she knew that this comforting presence would not disappear. "It was just a dream," he told her.

The woman didn't reply, just melted into him, tears falling down her face.

"Wufei, don't go," she muttered, holding onto his arms with her hands. "Don't leave."

* * *

He shifted, uncomfortable. Wufei could deal with the teasing, unmerciful Meiran. He could deal her acting the way she did during the day. But this, this new Meiran he had no idea what to do with. He was used to her being strong, never letting anyone see her pain. Proud and arrogant, that's what his wife was. 

Not having a clue what to do, he just held her. After awhile, she feel asleep. It took him a few minutes to adjust himself comfortably. He tried to go back to sleep, but he couldn't.

Not after what had just happened. What could have caused her to act like she had? Meiran must have gone to bed after him because one minute he was asleep, the next being attacked. Well, not quite attacked, more like on the receiving end of a very violent dream. It had taken him about ten minutes to calm her down and then she'd just broken down right in his arms. It was unnerving.

But, he was able to fall asleep after a while. Wufei opened his eyes, seeing Meiran staring at him, face unreadable. She was just looking at him. "You stayed," she muttered to herself.

He smirked and answered, "Looks like."

"Thank you," Meiran whispered, burying her head into his chest. He looked at her, feeling uncomfortable. He had no idea what to do to comfort her. So, instead of thinking, he acted impulsively and pulled her closer.

"Listen, woman," he began. Meiran stopped him. "My name is not woman. It's Meiran."

"Woman," he continued. "I'm not listening. Call me by my name," she protested, starting to pull away from him. Somehow, Wufei found himself disliking this. Her moving away from him that is.

He sighed, not wanting to argue right when he was waking up and began again. "Okay, Meiran. I'm not going away. You and I are stuck together, got that?"

This caused her to smile. "Yeah, I got that," she told him, poking him in the ribs. "Good, now that that's settled, do you think I could get up now?" Wufei asked. She let him up and watched as he took some clothes to the bathroom down the hall.

Getting out of bed, she locked the door and began to change clothes. About halfway through, a knock on the door interrupted her. "Yes?" She called out.

"It's me, woman. I need to get back into the room;" she heard her husband's voice say. "In a minute," she answered. As she finished, she walked over to the door and opened it. His body was moist, she realized as he went by. He must have just come out of the shower. And his hair was down like he had worn in when they were younger.

She headed out of the room. She didn't check on her daughter, knowing the young girl would still be asleep. After all, it was only six in the morning. Meiran went into the kitchen and saw Quatre making something at the stove. She didn't know what it was, but it sure smelled good.

"So, I'm not the only one up," Quatre turned and smiled. "No one else was up so I decided to make breakfast," he went on.

"Anything I could do to help?" Meiran asked. He thought for a moment and replied, "Yeah, you could start a pot of coffee. I've only got a small kettle of tea going right now. That happens when you're the only one who seems to like the stuff."

"What kind of tea?" She asked as she made the coffee. "Chamomile."

"I might have a cup then, if it's okay with you," Meiran told him. "That's fine by me," she heard the Arabian reply. While she helped him finish up, the other adults migrated towards the kitchen. It wasn't long before the group was sitting and eating. With it being so early, most of them weren't up to conversation. Afterwards, when the adults were done and Xin Xin was eating, Meiran decided to speak to Duo about something that had been bugging her.

"What's the matter?" He asked.

"Well, tomorrow's Wufei's birthday," she began, not knowing how to say what she wanted to.

"And you don't know what to get him," Duo finished. She nodded. "Well, I'm not sure what you could give him. But, hey, remember this," Duo went on. "You're special to him. You can tell just by looking at him whenever he's around you."

The American stopped for a moment and then waved his hand towards Quatre and Trowa who were sitting together. "You two are kinda like those guys. Made for each other."

Meiran felt her face become red. After a few moments of embarrassment, she decided to ask him a question.

"Me? Well, there's a person I like, that's true. But you see, he's kind of a bastard and probably doesn't even like me," Duo replied. "I mean, the guy's threatened to kill me on a few different occasions."

"Then why do you like him?" She asked.

"I really have no clue," Duo snorted. "Not a clue."

* * *

**A/N:** Just so you know I am a Ken Akamatsu fan. I read Negima!1-5againrecently, so I was kind of influenced by that. If you know his work at all, you'll know what I'm talking about. Though, really, that's more of a Love Hina thing.

Oh, three guesses on whom Duo likes. I think it's obvious but then again, it may be just because I know whom he does like. I own nothing in this fic but Xin Xin whose starting to fade in the background.

One last thing, Wufei's birthday next chapter!


	16. Chapter 16

The rest of the day seemed to pass peacefully. It was quiet, much to everyone's surprise. Outside, the weather looked to be clearing up and would give them an early spring. The group just kind of dispersed across the house.

Walking around, bored, Meiran decided to explore the house. She hadn't done that yet and since she was restless, the woman figured she might as well.

Going past the hall that held all the bedrooms, she heard loud moaning coming from one. A loud yell told her who was in the room. She quickened her pace, face red.

Continuing on her way, she found a door. Not knowing where it led, she opened it to reveal a dusty room. Sneezing, she stepped inside. It was a small room. There was just the one door and a window. Next to the window was a large armchair. Dusting it off lightly, she sat down. Outside the window, she could see the sun shining but further out, she could see a small flower field. Already little red blossoms were starting to bloom.

"It looks like the one back on the colony," she said to herself. "I'll have to show him."

* * *

"Happy birthday Wuffie!" Duo proclaimed the next morning as his friend walked into the room. The Chinese man scowled, hoping that people would have forgotten. Luckily, it was only the two of them and Trowa up at the moment. He managed to get a cup of coffee over to the table, spilling only a little. Of course, now that he was getting good at using the damned things he would have to give them up. 

"Just two more days," he muttered to himself. Sitting down, he took a nice big drink out of his cup. Draining almost half of it, he felt the caffeine hit his system. After eating a cinnamon roll, he left. Bumping into Quatre, he heard those words again.

"Happy birthday!"

Wufei scowled and headed off into the house's library.

* * *

"Man, what's his problem?" Meiran heard Duo complain as she walked into the kitchen. Duo, Quatre, and Trowa were seated around the table. Sitting down, Meiran asked the American what he was talking about. 

"Wuffie. He's acting like a jerk just because I told him happy birthday."

"He did that to me too," Quatre added. Duo turned to face her. "Mei, you have any idea why he's been acting like an ass lately?"

She thought for a moment. She couldn't think of anything. Actually, she could. But she didn't know what to name it. It was on the tip of her tongue, so to speak.

"I want to say something happened, but I'm not sure," she finally answered. They didn't say any more but after the four were done eating, they went their separate ways.

"Mei, we're going into town. Do you want to come with?" Quatre asked her a few hours later. Trowa was standing nearby, apparently the other part of the we.

"Sure. Just let me tell my daughter," the woman agreed. It took her a few minutes to hunt the child down and tell her where she was going. Of course, this only made the girl want to come.

"Niáng, why can't I go too?" The little girl asked.

"Because, you can't," Meiran told her daughter. The young girl started to whimper.

"But, but," Xin Xin began. "No, Xin Xin," Meiran replied firmly. Duo walked by at just that moment. "What's going on?" He asked, looking at the scene.

"I want to go with Niáng but she says no," Xin Xin told him. The braided man ran a hand through the girl's hair and answered, "Well, why don't you and I go watch a movie or something?"

"Okay," the girl agreed. Meiran looked at him and mouthed thank you.

"Not a problem," Duo mouthed back. The duo of Duo and Xin Xin walked away, leaving just the Arabian, his clown, and Meiran standing in the hallway.

"Well, now that that's settled, why don't we go?" Quatre said. Trowa nodded, slipping an arm around Quatre's waist. Meiran followed them out to the car garage.

"Too hard." She heard Trowa say to his lover as they walked over. Quatre shook his head, obviously disagreeing. By the time they reached Trowa's car the two had finished their conversation.

The trio didn't speak as they went to the store, but when they got out, Quatre turned to Meiran and began to speak.

"So, Mei, what do you think you will do after everything's over?"

She sighed, and replied, "I really don't know."

"Where will you and Xin Xin live?" He asked, concern filling the blonde's eyes. Meiran turned and gave him a sad look.

"I guess wherever we can," she finally answered. They didn't say anymore for a few minutes while following Trowa who was pushing the grocery cart.

* * *

"When's my Niáng coming back?" Wufei heard. He had been aware of the child walking into the room while he had been reading a report sent to him by Lady Une. Looking up to see her, he asked the little girl what she was talking about. 

"Niáng left," the little girl answered. "Where'd she go?" Her father replied with a question.

"I dunno," Xin Xin shrugged. She crawled up onto the couch next to him and peered over her shoulder to see the papers he had. "Whatcha reading?"

"Papers," he told her. "Why?" Questioned his daughter.

"Because, I need to."

"Oh," she said in a quiet voice. After a few minutes, she spoke again. "So, do you know when Niáng will be back?"

"No. I was not even aware she had left," Wufei answered. A thought hit him. "Who's watching you?"

"Duo," the little girl said. "And where is he?" The man asked.

"Gone," Xin Xin answered, moving closer to her father. "Whatcha you reading about?"

"Stuff you don't need to know about and where did Duo go?" He replied, killing two birds with one stone. Just then Duo walked into the room.

"Kid, why'd you run off?" The American questioned. "'Cuz, I wanted to know when my Niáng was coming back," the little girl replied.

"She'll be back in a little bit," Duo sighed. "Now, let's go watch that movie."

"Okay," the small child replied reluctantly. Duo turned to his friend with a twinkle in his eye. "That is, unless you want to stay here with this guy."

Wufei shot his friend a dark look and said, "That's not a good idea."

A few hours later, Wufei was playing chess with Heero. He had long given up trying to read those papers and was now doing other things. Trowa, Quatre, and Meiran had yet to reappear and the group that was left was starting to wonder what was taking them so long. Hearing feet thunder towards them, both men looked up to see Hilde sprint into the room, breathless.

About an hour ago, she and the other two had decided to play hide and seek. They had been hearing feet wander into the room on a few different occasions, so this was nothing new. Turning back to the game, both men stared at the board for a few minutes.

"Well, make your move already;" Wufei growled lightly, getting annoyed. Heero looked at him and answered, "I thought it was your turn."

"Oh great, so we might as well quit," the Chinese man said, his voice expressing his annoyance. Reaching for his crutches, he stood up, muttering to himself, "Just a few more days."

"Hello, we're back!" Quatre's voice rang through the house at that moment. A little blue blur came running out from behind the couch. Duo, who had been searching the room, caught the girl.

"Found ya," he said, tickling the girl on her neck. She giggled and squirmed until he put her down in which she promptly ran off. Duo wandered out of the room. Having giving up on their chess game, the other two men went their separate ways. Heero went to wherever Heero went. The guy was excellent at not wanting to be found. Wufei, having nothing better to do, hobbled off to the kitchen in hopes of finding a small snack.

"Out," Quatre said when Wufei opened the door. "You can't come in;" the Arabian went on to say. Wufei looked at his friend critically and asked, "Why not?"

"Because," the blonde man answered, shutting the door. The Chinese man went to open it and found the door would not open.

"Why that little blonde imp," he muttered to himself, going off to another part of the house.

* * *

"I am so tired," Meiran yawned as she and Quatre finished their project. The two had been working together for three hours now. And finally, they were done. 

It had been hard keeping everyone out of the kitchen. The door was locked and had a chair blocking it, which helped, but still, they could hear the complaints. And yet, at the same time, the duo would be laughing.

Perhaps the funniest was when Duo came around looking for something to eat. He had taken his lock picks and actually unlocked the door. But, that didn't help him much because the door wouldn't open all the way. In fact, all he saw was the open refrigerator. He begged for them to give him something, especially once he smelled what they two had made.

But, he didn't get any of it and now, three hours after the two had started, it was done. Meiran yawned and looked at Quatre. "Feel's like forever," she said. The Arabian nodded and sank into a chair. Laying her head down on top of her arms, the woman sighed. The two had half an hour before they were technically done, but all the hard things were done. They just had to wait.

"Mei," Quatre began. The woman looked up and asked what. He squirmed uncomfortably, not looking at her.

"What is it?" Meiran asked once more. "Well, uh, this is, well, it's kinda hard," the Arabian tried to say. She waited for him to continue.

"Well, the thing is, lately;" Quatre stopped for a moment. "Trowa and I, we've kind of been thinking, well that, maybe, maybe it's time we settled down."

"So?" The Chinese woman asked. "Aren't you two already engaged?"

"Well, yeah, we are," he admitted, biting his lip. "But," he added, pausing. He seemed to be at a loss for words.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, last chapter, no the last scene of the last chapter, turns out to have been quite controversial. I thank everyone for their reviews regarding it and I would really like to thank one individual in particular, you know who you are, because with all your comments, I have gained a better understanding of how everyone else sees things in Past Meets Present. On the whole Duo/Mystery Person whom most said Heero issue, I have not said it was Heero. Looking back, I realized that it could actually apply to a few other individuals. And I do realize there seems to be something between Duo and Hilde. I stated in the very first chapter they had a sibling like relationship, but now with the way things are going, I realize those lines are starting to blur quite a bit.

As for the individual who I have emailed about his/her review, you've given me a whole new perspective to work with. I hadn't really thought of a pairing for those you mentioned. These next few chapters are going to be used to work on the lesser characters in the story, such as Quatre/Trowa and their relationship, as well as Duo and his mystery man.

Oh, and one last thing to that same reviewer, I view Duo as someone who, while he may be in love or lust with one person, to still go out and have fun with someone else. I do also feel he is bisexual. We will learn much about Duo in the next couple chapters.

I do not own a thing in this fanfic except for the ever adorable Xin Xin. And speaking of Xin Xin, just out of curiousity, who is your guys' favorite character? In the beginning it was Meiran, and then Xin Xin, but as this story progresses, I'm feeling myself turn more towards Quatre.


	17. Chapter 17

Just then the phone rang. Both Meiran and Quatre jumped, startled by it. Being closer to the thing, Quatre picked it up. He must have known who was on the other end because he quickly launched into a conversation with the other person.

Leaving the room, Meiran made sure the door was locked before going off. Her feet were tired, as was she really, and she wanted to sit. Spying the couch open and no one in the living room, she laid down, hoping to take a little nap.

* * *

"I'm going to **KILL** you Maxwell!" Roared a very loud, very angry voice. It didn't take Trowa long; maybe 1 second, to recognize Wufei as the one who had yelled. It was after dinner, in which the group had been surprised by the large Chinese feast Quatre and Mei had made. Well, Trowa wasn't. He had been there when they had gotten all the supplies needed for the thing. 

Flipping the next card, he waited for Hilde to make her move. The two were currently playing war. Their game had been going on for a little while now, neither really winning nor losing.

"Double war," Hilde announced, her card a seven like Trowa's. Sighing, he flipped over two new cards. Watching her, he raised his eyes, noting that they had both gotten two's as the final card.

"Triple war," he replied. Flipping more cards over, Hilde's eyes widened a little. "Uh, quadruple war," she said, not believing what she was seeing. The trend continued a few more times until each person only had three cards left. The huge pile of cards went to Hilde. After winning just one of Hilde's cards, she took Trowa out of the game.

Stretching, the former clown stood up. By this time, the others had made their way into the game room. Duo was sitting by Heero, looking smug. Wufei, on the other hand, was scowling. It didn't take Trowa long to figure out why the Chinese man had been yelling. His crutches were painted pink. Smirking, Trowa walked over to the bookshelf and started to look through the collection.

All was quiet for a while before Xin Xin suddenly ran off. Coming back a few minutes later, she shyly walked over to Wufei, a small crudely looking package behind her back.

"Happy birthday," she told the man, giving him the package. A confused look passed over Wufei's face; him not used to getting gifts from people. Oh sure, on his previous birthdays and Christmas, an English tradition Maxwell fully believed in, he had received things. But on his birthdays before, the gifts had been like a trip to Beijing from Sally that just so happened to tie in with some of their work, or going out to dinner on one of his friends. And with Christmas, everyone exchanged gifts with each other.

As Meiran watched Wufei unwrap the present Xin Xin had given the man, she wondered what it could be. Seeing the bright red and gold trim of Mr. Dragon, it was all she could do from showing her shock. Mr. Dragon was Xin Xin's favorite stuffed animal, one of the last items that remained from L5, which made it very special to Meiran as well.

"His name is Mr. Dragon," the small child informed her father. "And you need to take real good care of him because Niáng says Mr. Dragon's from," on this the child turned to face her mother. "Where'd you say he's from again?"

"L5," Meiran supplied. "One of the last things from the place."

"Yep, just like Niáng said. So take real good care of Mr. Dragon or I'll come after you!" The little girl ended with a threat, causing a few smiles to pop up around the room. Wufei nodded in promise, not quite knowing what to say.

"Good," the little girl continued, sitting down next to him. Snuggling into his side, she yawned and was asleep in moments. He looked at the child for a moment and then turned to look at the others. Trowa had his nose in a book, Quatre and Heero pulling out the chess pieces. Duo had disappeared while Hilde was on the floor, looking at the ceiling. Only Meiran remained doing nothing.

"You don't mind if I go make a call, do you?" She asked quietly. Shaking his head, Wufei watched her leave the room, all the while wondering why she had asked for his permission. With a shrug, he let his armrest around Xin Xin, reading a book Trowa had recommended.

She came back a little bit later and took Xin Xin upstairs. When she was done with the child, Meiran disappeared.

* * *

Duo looked up when the door to his room opened and saw Heero walk in. The guy nodded in recognization and crossed the room. 

"I just got done talking to Relena."

"What did she want?" Duo asked, sitting up.

"She wants me to become a part of her security detail;" Heero's monotone voice came from the closet.

"Are you?"

"I have to think about it, but I probably will." He came out of the closet.

Duo just flopped back down, not saying a word. Apparently, Heero thought the quiet was out of ordinary because he asked if something was wrong.

"Nothing. It's just, you're my best friend and I suddenly find out you're probably going to go away for who knows how long," was Duo's reply, sounding too emotional in Heero's opinion.

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, it's short. I know, but I had to get an update up and this was all I had. Sorry! But, good news for me. I'm getting a cell phone tomorrow! I am so excited. AS for Duo, he is so OOC in that last scene. It is so bugging me but like I said, I needed to update before I lost whatever following this story has.

I own nada in this fic but little Xin Xin though if I owned Gundam Wing I would be donating quite a bit to the Salvation Army in the wake of Katrina.


	18. Chapter 18

The next morning Duo awoke and found himself the only one in the room. Heero's bed was neatly made, like always, and the place seemed much too quiet. Turning over, he squinted to see the alarm clock but couldn't. But he knew this.

Getting out of bed, he almost immediately put in his clear contacts, a secret that only Heero knew. It was just one of those things that the others never knew because it was something he had never shared. The only reason Heero knew was because the duo had roomed together often.

Getting dressed in his normal attire, the American with the large braid went downstairs to the kitchen, still unsure as to where everyone was at. It was quiet, much to quiet for a house that contained Hilde, himself, and a small child. Going into the kitchen, he found Trowa sipping coffee at the table with Rashid, conversation at a minimum.

"Hey guys, what up?" Popped out the newcomer's mouth. Neither responded with words but rather nodded in recognition. The morning passed by quickly, with only a few of the Maganacs joining the three. Feeling like he was cooped up, Duo went outside where he ran into Trowa who was petting one of three horses.

The Winner Estate the group was staying at had a small barn with three horses, all Arabians. The stallion was large for an Arabian and sandy colored but hated most men for some reason; the man he seemed to like was Trowa, but then, all animals seemed to love him. The two mares were smaller though still good sized. One female, a black horse, wasn't around at the moment but rather, was inside with her colt. The other mare, sandy like the male, was out with Trowa.

"Whatcha up to?" Asked the American, curious as he watched Trowa treat the animal very gently.

"I'm getting ready to take Sheila for a ride," Duo heard the man say as he walked towards the barn. Following his friend, the braided man asked a question.

"Let me get Max then and his tack. You'll have to get Sheila's equipment," Trowa responded, already walking towards the stallion.

* * *

Miles away, on a train bulleting towards the shuttle port, a young Euro-Japanese man sat, gazing out his window. Across from him sat the equally young Vice Foreign Minister, Relena Dorlian.

"What are you thinking about, Heero?" Her soft voice asked. He didn't answer. No, his mind was far away, back with those he had left.

* * *

"Niáng, what are we doing today?" Xin Xin wondered aloud as she ate her breakfast. It was just her and her mother at the moment seeing as everyone was off doing their own thing. Duo, Trowa, and Heero were all nowhere to be found. Hilde was still asleep even though it was ten and Wufei was currently having a video conference in the den. Quatre had been stolen away by one of sisters, saying that he wouldn't be back for a few days.

Thinking back to a few days before, Meiran remembered the flower field she had seen. Telling her daughter, Xin Xin couldn't wait to go and suggested they take stuff for a picnic.

"Go get dressed and we'll leave," the young mother told her daughter who bounding up to her room.

* * *

"The man's eyes are pú lu shì lán and a si sheng zi," the woman told him.

"Your er-zi is a yé zhong, láo-dao," he answered.

"Make sure he is dead," she told the man. "And never call me that again."

"As you wish, Empress of Rì Ben."

"Hitokiri, never mention this conversation and you shall be paid double."

* * *

A/N: Sorry for such a long wait. Let me just recount what's happened since the last chapter to explain the tardiness of this one. First of all, the original chapter was almost done when it was deleted. I couldn't get back to writing it right away because I had an article due in just a few days and hadn't started on it. And then I had an English report due. About half way through the chapter, I found that I kept contradicting myself and got rid of almost everything to start over.

Then I acquired The Sims Makin' Magic. That distracted me for about two weeks. And now you have the present. Kudos to all of those who understand the conversation at the end because I'm not translating for once. I might make a GW sig for whoever gets the Empress' country right and who she and the hitokiri are talking about.


	19. Chapter 19

"So, we're going back to the city now, aren't we?" Duo asked his blond friend a week later. Quatre nodded.

"When?" Meiran had to ask. "Next week," Trowa answered in his quiet voice. Quatre nodded to let the group know that this was true.

"Cool," Hilde chipped in. Duo turned to her and told her something quietly.

* * *

"You're going then," Trowa noted later on as he watched his friend pack. "Why?"

"I want a change in scenery," he replied.

"And you can't handle Heero gone," the clown stated very calmly as he stood in the doorway.

"Shut up," came his harsh voice.

"I'll leave you to pack then," Trowa answered, leaving. As he walked down the hallway, he spotted Hilde doing the same thing as Duo. Duo had confided in only Hilde and Trowa that he was going. Hilde because she was practically his sister. As for Trowa, it had just kind of come out when they had been horse-riding. Going downstairs, he heard talking coming from Wufei's room. Apparently, he and his wife had something to talk about that was important enough for the door to be closed.

"Hey," Quatre waved when he saw Trowa enter the living room. "Where is everyone? It's so quiet around here you'd think that Duo didn't live here."

"Busy, little one. Everyone is busy," he answered, going over to the bookcase. "If you want a new novel, Iria just sent a few over," his lover piped up. Trowa picked up a red book, an amused look on his face.

"Battle Royale?"

"I do believe that she didn't see that book in the pile. Maybe Duo or Mei will read it. Seems like something one of them would read," answered the blond. Taking the book with him, Trowa sat down next to Quatre. "I think that I'll read this," he answered as his boyfriend moved closer to him.

* * *

"So what are your plans once we go back to the city?" Meiran said as she sat on her bed. Wufei stood against the wall, now without crutches, with his arms crossed.

"I will continue my work with the Preventors. What about you?" He questioned her. She shrugged.

"I have no idea. I mean, how are we supposed to do this?" Meiran waved her arms.

"What makes you think I know?" Wufei answered.

"You're the smart one!" Came her reply.

"What does that have to do with anything?" He scoffed. Knocking at the door silenced any answer. Wufei, who was closer, opened it to reveal Duo.

"Wu-man, just the guy I wanted. Sorry Mei-Mei, but I'm gonna steal him for a little while," Duo said as he grabbed Wufei by the arm.

"Maxwell, where the hell are you taking me?" She and everyone else in the house heard him complain. It brought a smile to Meiran's face. She wasn't the only one who could get under his skin.

"Wuffers, I need to tell you and the Q-man something. Trowa and Hilde already know," Duo turned and said seriously, shutting Wufei up instantly. Duo Maxwell was rarely serious but when he was, you knew something was up. A nod was all Wufei needed to tell Duo he was listening. "I'm not going back with you guys. Howard and the Sweepers gave me an offer and I've thought about it a lot. And right now, I need the change of scenery."

Wufei had no idea what to say to his friend. But he felt compelled to say something. And there was a question he was wondering about.

"Is it because Heero left?" He blurted out quickly. The American turned his face and shot back, "What is with you guys thinking that's why?"

An eyebrow raised, the China man wanted clarification. Which Duo gave, saying that Trowa had asked almost the exact same question.

The American began to wander, and a curious Wufei followed. Not often could Wufei be called curious but at times such as thus, it was perfectly acceptable. In the end, he found that he was outside with his friend. The other two ex-pilots were there as well. In Trowa's hands was a semi-large red book that he had just closed, looking at his comrades.

"Duo," the blond Arab began but didn't finish. The braided one figured by the tone of voice he used that his lover had explained the situation. A glance at Trowa confirmed this. "When?" The Arabian began again.

"The next shuttle out is in two days and I guess if I want to make it, I'll have to leave tonight;" Duo scratched the back of his head. "I'm gonna miss you guys, ya know that right?" He paused to take a look at the three men out here with him. "You guys are like my long lost brothers.

"In the wars, we were brothers-in-arms. And look how much has changed and happened since then. I know I never mentioned it but I always wanted a scenery change and this is the perfect opportunity. And you guys all have others around so you don't need me anymore."

At that, Wufei felt the urge to cut in Duo's little tirade. "Maxwell, you talk to much. Who else do we know that does that?"

Duo failed to suppress the grin that popped up at the remark. "I feel so loved, Wu-man. But anyways," his face went back to being serious, "I feel kind of left out. Not to make you guys guilty or anything, but I do. I mean, come on, Quat and Tro, you two are so into each other that if the world were to be destroyed, you wouldn't notice. And Wuffers;" Wufei growled slightly at the name, thinking to himself that of course he got all the little annoying nicknames. "You have Mei and Xin Xin. Need I say more?"

"Why now, though?" Quatre's soft voice interrupted. "If you felt this way all along, why stick around? Does it have something to do with Heero?"

"Why do you guys keep asking that question?" Duo practically yelled.

Smirking, his Chinese friend piped up, "If you just answered the question, it wouldn't be asked." And with that, the fifth ex-pilot found a glare directed straight at him by the former second pilot.

"Duo," Trowa's voice cut into the little discussion. "Just admit the truth." He, too, found a glare directed at himself.

"Shut up," the American had to say on the subject. Taking a breath, he continued, "I guess I just want to say, I'm gonna miss you guys. You're my brothers from different mothers." Duo stopped speaking for a minute. Wufei groaned when he saw the Devil's grin adorning the braided man's face.

"Group hug!" He yelled, gathering the three very different men around himself.

"Why do I put up with you?" Grumbled Wufei. The answer he was given made he wished he had never wondered aloud. "I do not love you, Maxwell!"

"Sure you do."

"I have no feelings for you in any manner of speaking."

"Then why are you so touchy about it?"

"Because you are making a pain of yourself about it."

"I'm gonna miss sparring with ya 'Fei, I really am;" Duo grinned. He received a dark glare and laughed.

* * *

A/N: Holy smokes, how long has it been since I last updated? Far too long, I will say. Sorry about the long update, again. But I ran into a writers' block when Meiran told 'Fei he was the smart one. And acquiring a boy toy really cut into writing time as well. NaNoWriMo, please, don't mention it. Yes, I'm participating. But I am so far behind and I have a huge block on it as well.

If you guys want to have faster chapters come out, then by all means pitch a few ideas on what I should do. And no, keeping Duo is not an option. There are reasons why he needs to go away. Heero, too. Also, no one was able to guess what the Empress was saying or to who. Where are all the RuroKen fans? Surely someone knows what hitokiri at least means. I do but I'm not saying what was said. As for who was being spoken about, it was not Wufei. Sorry, but him, Meiran, and Xin Xin are going to be taking a little break. I want to really develop the others and I fear that if I keep those two in the spotlight for much longer, I'll end up rushing their relationship, making everything very unrealistic.

This one owns nothing but Xin Xin, though owning humans is very bad, that it is.


	20. Chapter 20

"I'm gonna miss you, Mei," Duo told the Chinese woman as he hugged her goodbye. It was just a few hours later and he was standing in the entrance hall, saying his final farewells. Whispering in her ear, he added, "And make that man of yours loosen up."

Meiran gave a chuckle, which he took as a yes she would. He then squatted so that he was Xin Xin's height. "Bye Xin Xin. You be a good girl, okay," he told the child. She nodded solemnly. Throwing her arms around him, she answered that she would miss him.

Hilde had already said her goodbyes and was now waiting for the man who was like a brother to join her. They would head to the shuttle port together, but then split ways. Hilde was going to L3 and Duo to the Peacemillion. Exactly why she was heading to L3, well, no one was quite sure. But she was and there was no stopping her.

The duo walked out of the building, waving as they left. It was then that Xin Xin turned to her mother. "Why did they leave?"

The remaining members of the group faced her. Surprisingly enough, it was her father who answered the young girl's question. "Duo got a job far away from here. And I don't know why Hilde left," he told his daughter.

"When are they coming back?" Xin Xin wondered aloud. He sighed and told her that he didn't know when.

* * *

"This place is unnaturally quiet," Trowa commented the next day. Wufei nodded, adding, "I never thought I would see the day where I missed Maxwell's chatter."

"You know, this was an interesting little vacation," their blonde friend put in. "But I like the thought of heading back home."

"Back to work," Wufei agreed. "It was nice, not having anything to do."

"But we knew this would happen," Trowa pointed out. Quatre sighed; "True, true."

The tallest of the trio leaned against the house, watching the sunset in the horizon. "I do have to wonder what happened to Heero though," Quatre continued. "He left so mysteriously."

"He will be fine," Trowa said with a smile. Wufei snorted, adding, "The guy is almost indestructible."

"Kind of like Wing."

"Kind of." Trowa agreed.

It was quiet for awhile before the Arabic man spoke. "Do you guys ever wonder if we did the right thing? Destroying the Gundams, I mean."

"What's done is done. It is best not to dwell on the past," Wufei answered. "In a perfect world, they would never haven needed to be created," Trowa added, picking up his friend's train of thought.

"Weapons of mass destruction, built only to fight."

"And us?" It was the Chinese man who had asked the question but neither of his comrades answered. Not that they didn't already know what the answer was.

* * *

Meiran sighed as she looked out the window of the moving vehicle. They were heading back to the guys' house in the city. Trowa and Quatre were in the front, the former being their driver. Seated next to her was her daughter with Wufei on the other side of Xin Xin.

The ride took them several hours but they were a lot closer to the city than she'd thought they were. It was a relief to walk through the doors of the house.

Quatre almost immediately went to the living room where he groaned at all the different messages on the answering machine. And their number was a private one too.

"Hello baby brother;" he hit the next button.

"Mr. Winner, I'm pleased to-;" Again, the next button was hit.

"Mr. Barton, I'm from the;" the next button was promptly used. The next message was from Dorothy and after that, Sally Po. Relena was the next in line with four telemarketers after her. Duo had left a quick message saying hi.

"Yé zhong wangsun. You are dead. The Empress of Rì Ben has commanded it so;" a strange and raspy male voice was the last message. Quatre stopped, chilled by the words. But as to what some of the words meant, he did not know. They did sound Oriental though, so it seemed like a good guess that Wufei would know.

"Hey, Wufei, can you come here?" He called out. His Oriental friend showed up a few minutes later on the heels of Trowa, who even though he hadn't been called, noted the strange tone in Quatre's voice. The blond Arab played the last message over.

"So, what does it mean?" Trowa finally asked after a very pregnant pause.

"It means," the Chinese man began, "that the apparent Japanese Empress has commanded the death of a bastard prince."

"How does that fit in with any of us though?" Quatre questioned. The other men shook their heads, clueless as well.

* * *

Xin Xin hummed to herself as she sat on the couch. She wasn't doing anything at the moment, her mother needing to go out on a few errands and all the guys of the house were holed up in one room, talking about something secret. Getting up and looking out the window, she saw a few other girls about her age outside playing.

"Die, can I go outside and play?" She went and asked him. He nodded, not paying attention to her as he was unused to needing to keep an eye and an ear on a young child at all times. Chang Xin Xin left the house, going outside.

"What's your name? I'm Diana," one of the girls, a blond, introduced herself.

"My name is Xin Xin," answered the Chinese girl.

"Is it foreign? I like it, it's pretty," Diana replied. "Wanna play with me and my cousins and my sister?"

"Sure. What are you playing?" Xin Xin wondered.

"Well, Chrissy over there," Diana said as she pointed to a girl with curly blond hair, "she's It. And to become not it, she has to tag one of us before we touch the tree. If you get tagged, you're it."

Xin Xin nodded. "You guys, time out!" Diana yelled, shocking the quiet and peaceful Xin Xin. All the other girls, a total of seven including Diana and Xin Xin, gathered around in a big circle.

"Girls, this is Xin Xin. Xin Xin, that's my sister Chrissy," Diana pointed to the girl who was It. Diana then pointed to two girls who looked almost identical, "Katie and Mary. They're my twin cousins. And this is my other cousin, Lita." The last girl was a short girl with dark brown hair.

"Hello," Xin Xin said in a small voice.

"Let's play!" One of the twins yelled. Her sister cheered, rushing off. Chrissy chased after them while Lita just sort of vanished into thin air.

"Hey, Xin, I can call you Xin right?" Diana turned to her new friend who nodded, new to the whole thing of having friends her age. "Let's go hide so Chrissy won't find us," the blond told her new friend as she pulled Xin Xin behind her, leading the Chinese girl to a hiding spot.

Xin Xin spent the next hour or so playing with the girls, never even noticing when her Niáng came home. Meiran, who saw her daughter having fun with children her own age, just smiled and let Xin Xin be, knowing this would probably be good for the girl. Inside the house, she found the guys trying to figure out something. With a shrug, she put away the basic groceries they had been in need of and turned on the television.

After a bit, all three guys appeared. Quatre disappeared almost immediately though, saying he needed to make some calls. Trowa sat down in a chair near Meiran and seemed to just stare into empty space. As for Wufei, he sat down next to his wife.

"Where's Xin Xin?" He asked.

"She's outside playing with some girls her age," Meiran replied, only hearing the word Xin Xin.

"Ah," Wufei answered. He got up and sat on the stairs of the house. After a few minutes he called out to her.

"Bye everyone. My Die's calling me," Xin Xin said as she left.

"Die?" Diana asked.

"Daddy," Xin Xin answered before she ran over to the man.

"Time to come," Wufei told her. Xin Xin nodded, pausing to wave to her new friends who waved back. She saw something black move down the street but when she looked, there was nothing.

* * *

A/N: Yay! A new chapter. It's only been what, almost a month since the last update. I'm hoping I'll have two more chapters out before New Years'. I had a few problems with the beginning of the chapter. I spent about two weeks trying to figure out how to move on from the guys' conversation. Little kids and their lack of grammar are fun to write so expect to see some more of Diana and her family.

I own nothing but Xin Xin, Diana, and Diana's family.


	21. Chapter 21

"Niáng, when am I going back to school?" Xin Xin asked at dinner a few weeks later. "Diana and Chrissy have to go but I don't"

"That's a good question," Quatre nodded his agreement to the question as he paused before taking a drink out of his glass.

"I think, I will enroll you in the local elementary soon," Meiran told her daughter. "I just need to finish gathering your papers"

"Okay," Xin Xin answered, taking a bite of her peas and making a face. Looking at her mother, she asked, "do I have to eat my peas"

"Yes, you do," Meiran replied. Xin Xin turned to Wufei and asked him the same question. He looked at the girl, still getting used to the idea that he had a child. "Weren't you just told that you had to?" He questioned the child. She pouted, picking at the vegetables half-heartedly.

Quatre cleared his throat, causing all eyes to be on him. "I am leaving for a week," he told them. The two Chinese adults looked at him; twin questioning looks on their faces. Trowa, of course, already knew what the blond would say and so, continued eating. "My sister, Seitia, is getting married and she asked me to give her away"

"Are you going?" That was Wufei, who had asked Trowa. The man with the large bang replied that he was. "And your family is okay with that?" Now the Chinese man was speaking to Quatre.

"Besides Iria and a few other of my sisters, most don't know," he admitted. "I'm going to use this to tell everyone"

"Have fun," Meiran told him. "I hope things go well"

"So do I," Quatre answered with a chuckle. "So do I. Otherwise, it could be pretty awkward"

"Could be?" Trowa quirked an eyebrow. His boyfriend rolled his eyes, saying, "okay, would be. Happy now"

"Quite;" Trowa put in the last word.

* * *

"I would like to enroll my daughter," Meiran told one of the elementary school secretaries a few days later.

"Do you have all the necessary papers?" The woman asked. Meiran nodded and was given a set of forms to fill out. "Full name Xin Xin Chang. DOB June 19th. Ethnicity Asian. Mother Meiran Chang. Father Wufei Chang." She whispered to herself as she wrote. "Let's see, emergency contacts. I guess that'd be Trowa and Quatre"

After a while, Meiran had all the forms filled out. She handed them to the secretary who in turn, said that she could start attending school, since it was a Thursday, the following Monday.

The Chinese woman walked to the nearest city bus stop, a glance at her watch telling her that she might get to work early. Though money was no option living with the guys, Meiran had found herself restless and bored during the days. Plus, just taking their money felt wrong. So, she had gone out and gotten a part-time job. It didn't pay much but it paid and it was something to do.

Unlike when she had worked at the Chinese restaurant, Meiran actually enjoyed her job. She had somehow managed to get a job at a local Tai Kwan Do dojo as an assistant. The master had been reluctant to hire her but he relented after a while, admitting that though she was out of practice, Meiran was still better fit then most of the people at his dojo.

* * *

The man watched the hotel room through his high powered binoculars. His legs were numbing from having sat in the same position for the last few hours. But none of this mattered to him.

A young man entered the room followed by a young woman the same age. A smile flashed briefly on his face as he fingered the black box in his hand. 'Soon,' he thought, 'my day will come soon'

* * *

"Heero, why did you take the offer? It's obvious you are unhappy here with me," the former queen and princess asked the guy she had crushed on as a teenager. They were in her hotel room.

"Are you running from something?" She continued after a moment's pause. "Am I being used"

"Relena. It's complicated. I need to think some things over, get away from the others for awhile," Heero tried to explain.

"So, I am being used," Relena put in, the look on her face not surprised.

"No," Heero began before his eyes started skirting around the room. He walked over to Relena so that their chests were touching. "Stay quiet," he muttered, her eyes straining to catch the words. "Follow me," he ordered just as quiet. "We need to get out of here, now"

Relena gave a quick nod and followed him out of the room.

* * *

Duo shifted his bag higher up onto his shoulder. He looked out the window of the bus he was riding, bored out of his mind. He had gone to the shuttle-port with Hilde and watched her leave on her shuttle. But when it came time to get on his own, he hadn't had the heart to leave. Of course, he had called Howard and the Sweepers', saying that he had changed his mind. He had then called the house, telling the other pilots' that he hadn't gone but he was going to take a long trip but he'd be back in a while.

He was now in a small town that he remembered hiding out in during the war. There wasn't anything really memorable about it, but he was drawn to the place for some reason. The bus halted and he stepped off, almost immediately falling into a young, blond woman about his age.

"Err, sorry about that," he told her, standing up. He gave her his hand, which she took.

"It's my fault. I wasn't watching anything around me," she answered.

"I'm Duo Maxwell. I may run and hide but I never tell a lie"

"Middie Une," the girl said with a giggle. "Are you meeting someone here"

Duo shook his head, telling her, "I'm just kinda wandering right now"

"Well, I hope you have better luck than I did," she told him. "Though, I was looking for a boy, so that may have been part of the problem"

"Who were you looking for? If I meet him, I could send him this way," Duo offered. She gave a sad smile as she opened her mouth, saying, "He never told me his name, so I called him Nanashi instead"

"No-Name?" Duo asked, quirking an eyebrow. Being around Heero had meant he picked up just a little Japanese. "You don't look like would know Japanese"

"I am more complicated than I appear Mr. Maxwell," she smirked. "Duo," he corrected her.

"Have a nice day," she said, walking away. "You too!" He called, going the other direction. She was headed out of town whereas he was going to this nice little inn he remembered from the war. Hopefully, it would still be there but if not, then oh well, it couldn't be helped.

* * *

Meiran sighed, miles away, something bugging her. She wasn't homesick, per say, but she did feel like something was missing. And she didn't know what that would be. But it bugged her.

Xin Xin was starting school in two days, so some of it might have been that. But not all of it. She turned on her side and smiled faintly as she saw her daughter's sleeping form in the bed across the room. The two were sleeping in Heero and Duo's old beds. Xin Xin was in Heero's, which had been immaculate. Meiran, though she had grown to love Duo in a friendly way, was less than pleased to be in his bed. It was basically the complete opposite of Heero's. It was tempting, she admitted to herself, to go down and sleep on the couch. She made up her mind that if she couldn't go to sleep in the next fifteen minutes, she'd go down to that couch and sleep there.

* * *

A/N: Lots of scene changes in this chapter. This is kind of a transition period, if you hadn't noticed but everything should smooth out soon and I'll get into the next little arc. Yes, I'm starting to place the chapters into little story arcs. What arcs they are, I'm still working on. And, this is a pretty quick update from the last chapter, so no complaining I didn't update quick enough. My finals are all on the 15th and 16th, so I won't be able to work on the next chapter until after then. I'm going to predict that the next update will be around the 22nd or 23rd. Please don't complain I just have some really advanced classes this year on the 15th. Chemistry, Spanish III and English all on the same day with Journalism and lunch the only things separating Spanish III from English. And the 16th will be the day I most likely start chapter 22.

You know, I never foresaw this fic getting this big. But it has and it really gives me a thrill of happiness. I just wish that there were more Wu/Mei fics out there. That or the ones out there would update. I want to read more of Quiet Chatter! It's a really awesome story but the last time it was updated was right before the last update of Past Meets Present, or as I shorten it, PMP.  
In one of the reviews I got for Chapter 20, one person addressed a few things that I feel the need to correct. Since an email address was not left, I will just say them here. In regards to Wufei and Meiran having the same family name of Chang, I did not find out that women keep their family name after marriage and once I did find this out, Chang was already established for Meiran. Instead of changing midfic and confusing people, I'm just going to leave it as is.

The other thing that was mentioned was ages. Wufei and Meiran were both around 13-14 when they were married. An age is never specified but the fact that Shenlon (Nataku) is around, as well as the fact that Wufei looks just a little younger in Ep. Zero point to that age frame. It is my personal belief that Wufei is the older of the two and it's set up in PMP that he is a year older than Meiran. It states this back in chapter 3, right at the beginning. The story starts out on Heero's 21st birthday, with Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei's 22nd birthdays all approaching. Xin Xin is seven going by Western standards, a small error on my part that most people wouldn't have caught. Going by Eastern standards, she would eight. But again, to go back and change anything would confuse a lot of people. I appreciate this sort of thing. Once I finish PMP, I do plan to rewrite it so that all the details like the age thing are fixed. If anyone spots any other things wrong, please let me know so that when I am done, they fixed.

I own Xin Xin! And, that's it.


	22. Chapter 22

As it turned out, Meiran did leave Duo's bed and end up sleeping on the couch. She was awakened early in the morning by a loud crash. Getting up, she investigated. Heading to the kitchen, which is where it seemed to come from, she felt scared.

A rock was sitting in the middle of the floor. A tag was attached to it. Outside, wind blew inside. The wind was a bit chilly and made her shiver. Turning, she left the room and headed upstairs.

First, she went to her daughter to make sure Xin Xin was all right. Meiran breathed a sigh of relief as she saw the young girl sleeping peacefully, sucking her thumb. Tucking the girl in, though she didn't need to as Xin Xin was already tucked in, she left the room quietly. The next room she headed to was Wufei's. It wasn't that she didn't like Quatre and Trowa, but she had definitely gotten much more comfortable around her husband. That and she felt it was wrong to barge into someone else's room in the middle of the night.

He was sleeping, his face as peaceful looking as Xin Xin's. At that moment, it really hit her how much their daughter took after him. It was a shame, she thought, to wake him up and she almost did go to the guys' room.

"Hey, wake up," she said quietly in his ear. He didn't do anything to respond, so she repeated it, a little louder. When he still didn't respond, she sighed. Maybe this was a bad idea, Meiran wondered in her head. Just then, her ears caught the faint sound of more glass breaking. Shaking her head, she shook Wufei now. He groaned and she did it again. This time, his eyes snapped open.

"What do you want, woman?" He asked crossly, a glare on his face. She didn't answer. She heard footsteps, glass crunching underfoot. She knew it couldn't be either Quatre or Trowa since she had just passed their room, the door open. She had seen two sleeping figures when she'd passed. And she had just been in with Xin Xin.

"Someone threw a rock through the kitchen window. And just now, something else glass broke," she informed him. She looked at the open doorway, feeling very out in the open. But she heard more footsteps. Judging by the look on Wufei's face, he had heard them too.

He got out of bed and walked over to his dresser. He opened the top drawer and pulled something out. From where she stood, Meiran couldn't see what it was but if she had to guess, she would say it was something dangerous around children. Or, in laymens' terms, she thought he had a gun. Which, when he turned around, she found that he did.

Wufei didn't speak to Meiran and she didn't speak to him. He headed for the doorway with her right on his tail. The wall blocked the bottom of the stairs, much to both of their frustration. The moonlight, which had been bright when she'd entered his room, was gone, leaving the hallway in an almost pitch black nothingness.

Meiran knew something was up. Something was definitely wrong. And she had an uncontrollable urge to run over to the room Xin Xin was sleeping in. Well, barely controlled since she didn't go barreling down the hall to her daughter.

"Hey," she heard Wufei mutter. "Get Quatre and Trowa up. Tell them safe room and get Xin Xin. I'll come as soon as you have her."

Meiran nodded even though she knew he couldn't see her and slipped out behind him. Glancing back, she saw a shadow move. Who the shadow belonged to, she had no idea. Quietly sprinting, she entered the two guys' room, all thoughts about it being wrong out of her head.

Skipping straight to shaking them awake, she told the guys what Wufei had ordered her to say. They looked at each other, sharing something in that gaze that she didn't catch. "I'll get it open," Trowa told Quatre. "You bring the girls."

The three split ways. Not even bothering to wake the child up, Quatre grabbed her. Meiran paused and grabbed a bag, throwing a few of Xin Xin's things in it while Quatre told her to hurry. When it was half full, she followed Quatre who led them back to what she thought was a closet. Trowa had the door open and she could see someone moving closer to them.

"Fei?" Meiran couldn't help but ask. Trowa had a flashlight and shined it at the figure. It was Wufei but he was sprinting down the hallway. Heavy footsteps were heard from behind him. Trowa stood to the side as his friend barreled into the place, pushing Meiran in as well. As soon as they were past, Trowa closed the door. A click resonated.

"Niáng?" Xin Xin's sleepy voice broke the silence. Quatre still had her, and Meiran noted the blanket she'd been wrapped up in. Moving from her spot near the wall, she sat down next to them. The girl didn't say anything else, just changed laps. Meiran rocked with the girl, finding that it made her feel better. Xin Xin yawned and leaned her head against her mother's shoulder. Before long, the child had gone back to sleep.

Shooting a glance at the mother and daughter, Quatre asked his own question. Meiran kept her voice low as she explained what had happened. All the while, Trowa kept shooting glances at the door.

"What's wrong?"

The brown haired man turned to look at Meiran. "This isn't the real safe room. This is just the stairwell," he explained.

"What?" She exclaimed softly.

"I'd prefer we move to the real room," Trowa continued. "Though this is supposedly just as safe."

"Here, let me carry her," Wufei offered as their friends went down the stairs, which were just barely lit. He took the girl before Meiran could say a word so instead, she followed him, clutching the bag she had grabbed to her chest.

There was another door at the bottom of the stairs. This one was open and lights were on. They were dim ones but Meiran could tell that they could be set to various settings. Sitting down on the floor, she wondered where Wufei had disappeared with Xin Xin. She got her answer in a few minutes when he appeared out of a darkened doorway. Someone did something and lights brightened some so that she could see.

Apparently, the room was more than just a room. It was a set of rooms. The place Wufei had just come from must have been a bedroom. Next to it were two more rooms, one with an open doorway and the other had its door closed. The room she was in turned out to be a joint living room and kitchen.

"Umm, aren't normal safe rooms just bare rooms that aren't, well, second houses?" She questioned.

"You forget. The five of us," Quatre froze. "Well, I guess it's the three of us now," he corrected himself, "and people are always going to be after us. And for various reasons. So, when the house was built, it was specially made."

"It was setup to be a mini house in case we had to be down here for a long time. Self reliant, there's no way anyone can get in from the outside once the doors lock," Wufei continued. Meiran nodded but didn't say anything, yawning before she could catch herself. "There's a second bed in there, you know," he told her.

"No, I can't go to sleep now," she answered. From her vantage point, she couldn't see much but she could hear someone doing something over around the kitchen area. She would have moved but when she went to stand up she couldn't. Meiran's body wouldn't let her leave the floor so that's where she stayed.

"Hey, want some?" She looked up and saw Quatre holding a steaming mug. "It's hot chocolate."

"Thanks," she answered, taking the drink from him. She swallowed a little, barely able to taste it. When she was done, Meiran set it on the floor next to her and shivered. Trowa had gone back to bed and Quatre had disappeared. Wufei sat looking at the stairwell, or rather, the door to the stairwell. He was watching it like he expected someone to burst through it.

"What happened to your gun?" She realized it was missing. He looked and shrugged; "I must have dropped it somewhere. I'll have to report it missing."

Meiran shivered again. This place was cold, she thought to herself. "Cold?"

"A little," she admitted truthfully. He snorted, "Well then get off of the floor." She tried to and got about halfway up before her body gave out and she slumped back down onto the ground.

"Hey, something wrong with you?" Wufei questioned, finding it odd that she was unable to get out. She shook her head; "I'm just tired."

But he found it weird. Walking across the room, he knelt in front of his wife. Her face was pale. Most people wouldn't have thought that but he knew. He felt her forehead. It was warm. Not a healthy warm either.

"You need to go to bed, now," he ordered. Meiran shook her head. She didn't want to leave her spot on the floor. She couldn't.

"Don't wanna," she whined.

"Woman," he told her.

"No," she protested. "My name is not woman."

"Go to bed," he ordered again.

"No."

"Meiran," his voice said warningly. "You need to go to bed. You're sick."

"I'm not sick," she argued.

"Then explain why you're pale and have a fever," he pointed out. She didn't answer this time. Her eyes had closed and she slumped over. This seems oddly familiar, Wufei told himself in his head.

"Wake up. You need to get into a bed, Meiran," he continued. She mumbled something but his ears didn't catch what she had said. "Hey," he began again, "wake up." Grabbing her by her shoulders, he shook her lightly. "Open your eyes, Meiran."

Suddenly, the sense of the deja vu he had been feeling disappeared as he realized why this seemed too familiar. He had said almost he same exact words years ago when he thought she'd died on A0206. It was creepy, Wufei thought.

"'Fei?" She asked sleepily, her eyelids fluttering open. He could tell just by looking in her eyes that she was having trouble concentrating on anything.

Practically lifting her up, he led her over to the couch. She laid down and shivered. Going into one of the bedrooms, the same one that held Xin Xin, he took a blanket off of one of the other two beds. Taking it back to the other room, he set it on Meiran.

He now turned back to face the stairwell door. He had an odd feeling. Something about this all struck him as wrong. But just how, he had no idea.

First, that message. Just who had sent it anyways? And why was the person speaking in Chinese? Did it have any connection with Heero's sudden leave? Why was this all happening now? He had just gotten reunited with Meiran and got to meet Xin Xin. Why did they have to get involved anyways? Both of them were innocent of anything. And who would want to hurt them?

Xin Xin was such a sweet child. He had yet to see the girl misbehave. The girl was cute. Adorable he guessed some to say. His daughter, he was getting used to thinking of the girl in that manner, was polite, too. He found that odd, but in a nice way. She was a good child unlike her mother, who had been notorious for getting into trouble.

Sure Meiran had a temper but she was a good person. She was a good mother who loved her daughter and would just about anything for the girl. She made mistakes but she also made up for them. She was strong, both mentally and physically. Looking at her, you wouldn't think so. She was short and petite. Her hair was just past her shoulders when she let it down. Her facial features were delicate. In short, her looks made you think she was weak and defenseless. Which was definitely not true.

Somehow, everything seemed wrong. Not finding Meiran. But just about everything else that had happened. He couldn't help but feel like it was all connected. Just how, he had no idea. Wufei felt like he had bits and pieces of the puzzle but he was missing a good portion. And it was frustrating him to no end.

* * *

A/N: Wow. A little bit earlier than expected but Saturday, the day I'm writing this, I really got into a writing mood. I set up a forum for Past Meets Present so check that out. I'll explain more thingsthere and having the forum will cut down on the size of these A/N's. So, there should no longer be giant ones like last chapter. One last thing before the disclaimer. I have a new C2. It's called The Dragon and Nataku. I think that should tell you what you will find in it.  
Also, one reallast thing. Please check the forum for information on why I may not get to write for a long time. I'll put that info up there instead of here.

I own nothing but Xin Xin.


	23. Chapter 23

Wufei looked at the stairwell door as he had been for a long time now. It was eating at him, not knowing everything. Walking over, he checked to make sure it was securely locked. It was. He now headed into the first room, the one that held Xin Xin. She was just waking up.

"Die, where am I?" She questioned, yawning all the while. "A safe place," he answered, checking under the beds and every little spot he could think of. Leaving the room, he told her to stay put until he came back.

Moving to his friends' room, he found both of them asleep on their bed. He left almost immediately. Finally, he opened the closed door in between the two rooms. It was the bathroom, he thought. He opened the door and saw the toilet and sink, not to mention the shower, all staring back at him, gleaming with newness. Heading back into the living room/kitchen, Wufei glanced around, taking one last time to make sure that the door was securely shut. Something about it was really getting to him.

The whole situation was odd and he would definitely be speaking with the other two pilots about this when he had his first chance.

Settling down in a chair, he waited. He wouldn't sleep until he spoke to his friends. He didn't like the feeling that everyone would be asleep at the same time either. It made his danger sense skyrocket.

Something was wrong and he had no idea what it was.

A few hours later, Trowa emerged from the second bedroom. He found his Chinese comrade staring at the door with a troubled expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" He questioned, coming over to his friend.

Wufei shrugged, then explained, "something about this seems wrong."

"How so?" Trowa wondered his feeling of safety starting to drop.

"I don't know," Wufei admitted. He glanced at a sleeping Meiran, then turned to face Trowa, "Don't tell the girls, but I don't feel safe in this place."

It was then that he remembered Xin Xin was still in the bedroom where he'd told her to stay. "Excuse me a minute," he continued, getting up and going to the room.

She was sitting there on the bed, just waiting and humming. "Die, I'm cold," she complained. He frowned, finding that odd. She had two blankets wrapped around her. One he recognized as Heero's and the other was from the bed she was sitting on.

"Why don't you come out to the other room with me," he offered. She nodded and took hold of his hand. They went out into the other room where Trowa sat. Wufei glanced over at the door. Sitting down on the other couch, he let his daughter curl up beside him. Looking at her, he frowned slightly.

"I'm cold, Die," she mumbled again. Reaching, he felt her just a little warm. "Go to sleep," he ordered. Xin Xin nodded and laid her head in his lap. Within moments, the child was out.

"A small fever," Wufei explained. "Meiran was running one too."

"And I agree. I've got the same feeling I had earlier when we in the stairwell," Trowa told him. Both men shot wary glances at the door, which they both knew was locked. It could only be opened from the inside once it closed.

"None of this makes sense," Wufei sighed. Trowa gave a slight nod as to show his agreement with the statement.

"Hey," a new voice said from the second bedroom. It was Quatre. Trowa took one glance at him and was at the man's side in an instant. Reaching out, he found that the Arab was also running a small fever. Not to mention the man was just a tad pale.

"You go back to bed;" he ordered. Leading the man to the bedroom, Trowa made sure he was asleep before he left the room.

"A fever?" Wufei asked, knowingly. "Yes," was the response he received.

"Again, more things that don't make sense."

Meiran stirred, sitting up. Rushing to what she hoped was the bathroom, or in other words, the room with the closed door, the sounds of puking could be heard. When she came out, her face was still pale but she looked better.

"Did I drink something?" She muttered to herself.

"Unless you forgot to tell us and snuck one, no," she was told. Glaring at him, she ended up sitting on the other side of Xin Xin.

"So," Trowa turned to his fellow ex-pilot. "Should we get in contact with anyone?"

"The Lady at the very least," Wufei agreed, nodding.

"Relena, if just to get in contact with Heero," Trowa added.

"What are you guys talking about?" Meiran butted in.

"Is there anyone else?" Wufei asked, ignoring Meiran's question. "What about Noin and Merquise?" Trowa wondered.

"We might get Sally. She's, well, not to fond of me," Wufei replied. Trowa shook his head; "they have their own place now."

Wufei frowned. "When did that happen?"

"Will someone please tell me what's going on?" Meiran requested.

"A while back," Trowa answered.

"Did Maxwell leave a number?"

"Unfortunately no."

The two sat in silence, both thinking of every possible person they could reach. Well, it wasn't really silence since Meiran pestered them somewhat.

"Some of Winner's sisters, no doubt," Wufei put in after a bit. Trowa shook his head, "Only Iria."

"Who's making the calls? You or I?"

"We can't make any now," Trowa replied, looking at his watch. Holding it up so Wufei could see the time, the clown stood up. Not saying a word, he disappeared into the bedroom that held his Arabian lover.

"Trowa, what's wrong?" The blonde questioned as soon as the man entered the room. "Something's up."

Trowa nodded. "Wufei and I came to that same conclusion."

Quatre sat up, feeling only slight nausea. "I think," he began, "that there was some kind of gas in Mei and Xin Xin's room."

Trowa frowned and looked at the other man, his look questioning.

"Nothing fatal. But a type of knockout gas," Quatre continued, explaining a little. "The room had an odd smell. It was very faint."

Trowa sat on the edge of the bed and waited. The blonde man stood up, swaying slightly. Trowa's frown deepened as he watched.

"The room had a peachy smell. But rotten somehow." Quatre Raberba Winner was frowning now, too. "I don't know what is up but I don't feel safe here."

The sound of a person coughing caused both to turn to the doorway of the room. Wufei stood there, waiting. One of them nodded and he entered the room.

"Have you mentioned what we spoke of?" Wufei immediately asked.

"No, I was just getting to that," Trowa answered. Quatre joined the man and sat down, waiting to be informed. Wufei stood just inside the doorway, glancing back at the living room/kitchen that held his wife and daughter.

Trowa and Wufei quickly brought their comrade up to date. He in turn informed Wufei what he had thought of the bedroom possibly being gassed.

"Who should we contact first?" Quatre questioned.

"I think our best choice would be Lady Une," Wufei said with a sigh. Trowa nodded, adding, "She can provide the most help."

Quatre held up a finger. "First, we need to get the girls out of that room. No need to make things even more stressful on them."

He looked at Wufei when he spoke. "Let me guess," the Chinese man began, "I get that job." Not even waiting for either to speak, he left the room. They could hear quiet arguing from the bedroom and footsteps.

Sticking his head into the room, Wufei asked if he should make the call. Trowa waved the man away while the blonde just laid back down on the bed, requesting not to be woken unless something big happened.

"Preventor Chang, why have you called at this ungodly hour?" A sarcastic, but still somehow cute, teen girl questioned.

"Please put the Lady online. It's urgent," he responded. "And just why should I do that?" Treize's daughter asked.

"Mariemaia, it could very well be the difference between life and death," Wufei growled. Hearing a gasp, he whirled around. Meiran stood in the doorway, pale.

"What?" Her voice was shaking.

"Who is she, Preventor Chang?" The teen girl's voice asked. "I have never seen her before."

"Mariemaia, that is Meiran. She is my wife," Wufei quickly explained. Whatever the girl had been expecting, that obviously had not been it for her look was one of shock. Mariemaia quickly recovered though.

"What is going on in here?" A new voice broke the scene. Mariemaia swiveled her chair, allowing Wufei to see the woman. He had no need to see since the voice told him but it was an appreciated gesture.

"Lady Une, I have something I need to speak to you about," Wufei began immediately. He found his years of practice coming in handy as he informed her on every important detail.

The woman waited for him to finish, all the while thinking up a plan. "You have been quite a problem for me these past few months, Chang," she finally said. "But, I think I know of a way to deal with this." She paused. "First off, we cannot have you three doing anything, as frustrating as that is. A woman and a child are present and I will not endanger them."

Wufei nodded. Trieze would have done the same thing. While he may have hated the man, he admitted that the guy had been very honorable. The Lady had kept most of his honor alive. She hadn't been able to keep his name totally unsoiled but at least he was not hated by everyone.

"As simple as it may sound, just send a few agents into the top part of the house," Mariemaia interjected. "It will not be expected that much is almost certain."

That Lady and Wufei both stared at her. She was right, it wouldn't be expected. "That, or, go guns blazing out of your safe room."

Again, more advice from the girl. As many arguments as there were against the projected plan, there were an equal number as to how it could work. Of course, not a word was said but both seasoned veterans had quickly realized this by themselves.

"So, what should we do?" Wufei wondered, sparing just a moment to glance at the door. Meiran was still standing there, much to his displeasure. "Woman, go to the room and watch over the girl," he ordered.

She shook her head and headed towards him. "No," he could barely hear her voice.

"No," she repeated her voice louder.

"Are you having a marital dispute?" Mariemaia quipped in, a curious tone to her voice. Wishing that he was very much somewhere else, Wufei tried to keep his face and composure as impassive as he could. Later on, he would find that to be one of his shining moments but as of now, he was focused purely on what was happening now.

Lady Une frowned from her vantage point next to His Excellency Treize's daughter. "Marital dispute? I was not informed you were in a relationship at all, Chang."

It was times like this that he really wished he were not so strict upon himself. Maxwell would not have the same problem, he thought, almost willing to trade places with the man. But he would never do that. He had, he grudgingly admitted to himself, grown attached to the two. He wasn't quite sure he was to the point that he loved them but to have them out of his life seemed unthinkable.

Trowa appeared. If he was shocked to see both Mariemaia and Meiran, he didn't show it. Taking over, the man listened to the two strategies that had been pointed out. He agreed that both had their good points and their bad points.

"Shouldn't we try getting a hold of Yuy now?" Wufei finally broke through. "Not that this isn't important, but he could think of something that none of us would have ever thought of."

"True. His mind works in mysterious ways;" Trowa gave a small smirk. Breaking the connection, he contacted Relena's people. They instantly recognized him. All of her staff had been required to memorize the faces of the five pilots as well as a few others.

"And the name of your sister is?" Relena's secretary asked. It was also a requirement that a personal question was asked.

"Catherine," Trowa answered. The woman, spying Wufei, also asked him his question. Wufei replied before she finished, already knowing the answer.

"Miss Dorlian is away at the moment. Would you like her personal number?" The secretary wondered. Trowa shook his head. He already knew that number. The chance that the woman could be reached, though, was slim to none. It was rare that she answered it and when she did, she normally was not very polite.

* * *

A/N: Holy shit. What a chapter, seriously. Again like last chapter, it was written almost entirely in a day. Somewhat unlike last chapter, it was somewhat forced. See I realized something the 22nd, the day I wrote this, that I was writing chapter 23. For those who didn't know, I joined the site December 23, 2003. And from there, I just knew I had to get this chapter up on the 23rd. I hope it's good because I have no idea. A lot of loose ends are going to be tied up, I will admit that.

Soy la dueña Xin Xin pero nada otro.


	24. Chapter 24

Duo sighed as he stretched out on the park bench. The inn wasn't there anymore and he couldn't find another. So now he was in the small town's park, sitting on a bench, his pack at his feet. He had no idea what to do next. He didn't want to return home yet, but, he was missing the guys and the girls.

"Why, hello again, Mr. Maxwell," a female voice said as she sat down next to him. "How are you liking this little town?"

He sighed, "I can't find a place to stay, so I'm thinking of going back home." He didn't look at her, though he recognized her voice as that of Middie Une's. Just then his personal line chirped from his pack. With a frown, Duo told her that it was important and he had to take it. She nodded and stood to leave, adding as she left that she would come back in a little bit.

"What's wrong?" Duo questioned the familiar face of Heero Yuy. "The others are in trouble. They have locked themselves in the safe room below the house. Lady Une has sent some scouts but none came back."

Duo shook his head. "I guess I am returning home after all," a slight smile on his face. Then he went serious as he added, "I'll be on the first shuttle out. Where do you want to meet? I can see your on Earth as well."

"We'll meet at the port at home;" Heero cut the line. Duo sighed again and put his line back in his pack. As he was adjusting the straps, Middie came back, a pack in hand as well. Duo's eyes shot open.

She smiled sweetly, saying, "I've decided to continue my journey. Mind if I travel with you, at least part of the way?"

Duo shrugged, it wasn't like she would become involved with what was going on with his friends. No harm in that, he guessed. Holding up one finger though, he told her that he was leaving right away. Heading to the bus stop, he waited with her for a while until the contraption lumbered and both boarded.

At the port, Duo glanced at her, off gazing at departure times, then turned back the man at the ticket counter. Pulling out his Preventor id, he said he needed two tickets on the next shuttle home. With the id, he was granted both in minutes.

Surprisingly, Middie did not ask how he was able to get them tickets on a shuttle that was supposed to be full. They boarded and spent the trip in relative silence. Duo found himself going over strategies in his head, thinking of the layout of the house and the best way to infiltrate the place. In his mind's model, he decided the best place to start from would be the attic. It was rarely used and the only way to get to it was through what had been his and Heero's room.

Of course, Duo, being who he was, had found dozens of ways to get into the room and the same number as to leaving it. The process had annoyed Heero greatly but Duo had a feeling that the man would be grateful for that knowledge now. A smirk on his face, Duo remembered all the times he'd startled the man by, as Heero put it, appearing out of nowhere. It surprised Duo that he had been able to sneak up on Heero at all, since the man was supposed to be Mr. Perfect and all.

When they arrived, Duo apologized to Middie that he had to go but would be in contact with her. She nodded, leaving her line's number with him.

"I'll be expecting a call from you in the near future, Mr. Maxwell," she said as she walked past him, a breezy step to her stride.

He spotted Heero and rushed to the other man's side. Heero gave a slight nod that showed he recognized the braided man.

"Who was the girl?" Heero questioned. Duo knew his friend. He knew that Heero was just checking to make sure she wouldn't pop up and interfere with their mission. Duo shrugged. "Just some girl who tagged along with me," he answered.

Heero left, Duo followed. As they headed to the parking lot, Duo mentioned the attic as the best place to enter the house. Heero just nodded his head, spotting their car. Taking the drivers' seat, he let Duo take the passengers' seat. Their ride was spent going over plans.

* * *

Trowa was stretched out on the floor, his eyes trained on the door. Nearby, crouched down low, was Wufei. Quatre was guarding the girls, keeping them safe in one of the rooms. Sounds of a scuffle were coming through the door.

It had been about five hours ago that they had heard voices yelling, around three that they had heard a gunshot. It had been instantly decided that the girls and Quatre, who was still a little out of it due to whatever had been in the room.

They had gotten a hold of Relena, and with her Heero. Duo was nowhere to be found, unfortunately. They could only hope that Heero had found him somehow. But at the moment, they were all on high alert, just doing their best to survive.

* * *

A/N: Don't kill me! I know, it's been two months. But I will say this in my defense, Christmas, New Years', my "sweet" 16, Valentines' Day, and my best friend turning 18 all happened. Add in schoolwork and Final Fantasys' X and X-2, what time do I have to write except for little one-shots? Plus, my Gundam muse seems to have taken a vacation. I honestly have no idea when the next update will be.

I own nothing but Xin Xin.


	25. Chapter 25

Trowa fingered the broken cross absently. A crying blond girl came to mind as he checked his gun one last time. Wufei gave a hand signal and the brown haired man nodded. Together, they headed towards the doorway.

* * *

The two men stood together, looking at the mess in front of them. There were only three other people, all men. All dead.

One had been shot by one of his comrades. The other two had been taken care of with a knife.

Duo sighed, bending down and closing the two knifed victims' eyes. He did the same for the man who had been shot. He looked over at Heero, who was messing with the door.

* * *

The door opened. Both Wufei and Trowa shot off warning shots.

"Aw, what the hell?" An all too familiar voice complained. Heero stood in the doorway, Duo a few feet behind. The one to speak had been Shinigami, of course.

The clown and the warrior stood up from their spots that were close to the ground.

"They took each other out," Heero said simply. Just then, the fifth ex-pilot appeared, gun in hand.

"Where are we going now?" The blond asked.

Heero looked around, surveying the room in a single sweep. "Away from here. Take only the necessities with you."

Duo scratched the back of his head. "Okay, why?"

Heero gave the braided man an annoyed glare. "If you have time to ask questions, you have time to do more meaningful things."

Shinigami rolled his eyes. "Whatever. I've already got my junk stored is a safe location."

The other three men, the Arab, the Chinese man, and the man who's origins would be forever unknown rounded up only a few things apiece, Wufei grabbing a few things for the two girls.

A little later, when they were getting ready to leave, after pretty much forcing Meiran and Xin Xin to stay back in the room, which caused Meiran to grumble in protest, they were finally ready to leave the house.

Wufei was the one chosen to go get the girls, since they were his family and all. He noted with relief that the little girl was asleep. Picking her up, he told Meiran to stick close and to try to ignore what she was about to see.

Being the woman she was, Meiran did not fully listen to her husband. When the group was topside, she had to go off to the bushes.

"I told you so, woman," Wufei said to her.

"Shut up," she glared at him, "and I have a name."

Wufei shrugged, which caused Xin Xin to stir. The young girl yawned and rubbed her eyes. "Huh? Wha's goin' on?" She asked, sleep filling her voice.

"Go back to sleep," Wufei murmured. Setting the young girl in a vehicle, he sat beside her. Duo and Trowa were in the front of the vehicle; Duo had become the driver. The other three were in the other vehicle, Heero driving that one. The "Perfect Soldier" lead the group to a diner that was open. Actually, it was about nine, so that was not really odd.

What was odd was the group's general attire. Heero and Duo were dressed pretty normal for the two of them. But the others were in some sort of sleep attire. Trowa had on an old t-shirt and sweatpants, so he did not really have a problem. Wufei, likewise, was in sweatpants and a tank, to which he just threw on a button up shirt left unbuttoned. Quatre, though was in silk pajamas. Meiran and Xin Xin were the same, though not silk. This was remedied, however, by making a pit stop at a nearby gas station to allow them to change clothing.

When the group entered the diner a little while later, everyone seemed to be more than a little hungry. Duo grinned as he allowed Xin Xin, who he was starting to think of as a niece, to lead him to a table that would fit them all.

"Well, we meet again, Mr. Maxwell," a voice that was becoming quite familiar to him said. "It seems that we keep bumping in to one another."

"I guess so, Middie," Duo chuckled, scratching the back of his head. Xin Xin tugged on his arm. "Come on. I'm hungry," she told him.

"Cute kid," he was told. "Yours?"

Duo shook his head. "No, she's my friends' kid. Actually, here comes everyone now."

He pointed to the group that was making their way towards the little group. "Her parents are the two Chinese ones."

The blond girl smiled, and answered, "I could tell. You take after your father, don't you?"

That last part had been directed towards the young girl who just shrugged.

"Well, have a nice da-," Middie began as she was about to walk away. But for some reason, she stopped in mid-word. Duo followed her eyes and saw her staring at Trowa, or rather, the broken cross that he wore. "Where did you get that?" She demanded, all politeness gone.

Trowa raised an eyebrow questioningly as he looked at her. She seemed familiar to him but from where, he could not place.

"It was given to me by a person I knew," the quiet man answered.

"Who gave it to you?" She asked, trembling slightly.

"I do not see why it concerns you," Trowa told her calmly.

"Tell me," she ordered, glaring daggers. "It belonged to a boy called Nanashi. How did you come by it?" Her voice was hard, sharp as well, seeming like she was trying not to let it crack with emotion.

The other four men were shocked to see the shocked expression on their friend's face. While their friend was better at expressing his emotions, years of having to stay emotionless for the most part had made him hard to read. So to see him visibly shocked was something that none of them, including Quatre, had ever seen.

"How do you know that?" He finally turned and questioned her.

She looked him in the eyes and replied, "I gave it to him. And I was there when he shot it."

"Betrayal caused it to be shot," Trowa stated. She looked at him, no longer glaring. Her face now was confused.

"I know. But it was that cross that kept him from dying like the rest of the mercenaries," she replied.

"Leave Middie Une," Trowa ordered. Her face, and Duo's, were shocked. Her full name had not been mentioned and yet, he knew it.

"We will meet again," she said, hugging him. Trowa stiffened and then even more when she whispered something in his ear.

"See you guys later," she waved herself off, leaving.

Just then, someone's stomach growled, breaking the moment and reminding them why they had come to the place after all.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I can't help myself. I have to leave it off there. So, Trowa and Middie have met each other. I guess you guys know what the next chapter is going to be about.

Good news and also part of the inspiration of this chapter. **I have FINALLY acquired EPISODE ZERO!** WooHoo! You guys are all probably thinking I'm weird now and how could I be writing about Episode Zero characters if I've never seen it before. Well, I've read it before but I could never find it to buy. Well, Borders had only one copy which I grabbed. And, on the same track, I bought the sixth dvd of Gundam Wing which means that I now own Episodes 1-10, as well as 26-30, and Endless Waltz, not to mention Episode Zero, Battlefield of Pacifists, and Blind Target. Not too bad when you figure I was just introduced to the series about a year ago.

Other than the merchandise I just mentioned, I own nothing or no one in this piece of fanfiction but Xin Xin. Everyone else is not mine. I just wish they were. Especially Trowa.


	26. Chapter 26

The group of seven was squashed into the booth. It was an old-fashioned diner that they had chosen, the kind with large, oversized booths for large groups of people, like teens for instance. But six adults and one child were definitely not the same as a group of teenagers.

Heero had managed to grab one of the ends, Quatre the other. To Heero's left was Xin Xin, her mother on her other side. Trowa was across from the child, Wufei on his other side. This left Duo squashed in the very center. Shinigami complained loudly for several minutes before Quatre suggested that he and Xin Xin trade places. This would allow her to be between both her parents and he would be next to Heero who was the best at getting Duo to shut up. Of course, the blond knew better than to say that to his friend's face. But that didn't mean that the thought did not pass through the other ex-pilots' heads either.

Soon, food was in front of the group though, so that distracted them. Well, for the most part.

Trowa picked at the food on his plate, feeling sickened by the thought of eating. Seeing her had driven all thoughts of hunger away. All he could do now was remember her betrayal that had caused the Captain, the man who had decided that they, the mercenary troop that is, would raise him instead of killing him. He had later learned that when the Captain had been younger, he had been married. His wife and their infant son had died many years before because their home had been bombed.

The Captain had made sure that he had been fed that he had a place to sleep. The Captain had been the one who made sure that Trowa, or No-name as he had been called then, received the proper training for a mercenary in an array of subjects, from battling in a mobile suit to weapon maintenance, as well as in math, reading, and writing.

He had a tough life with the mercenaries, and not necessarily the happiest and definitely not the best for a child to grow up around, but it had been the only life he'd known. Life had been stable, or at least as stable as a battlefield. They had enough money for supplies, most of the time and when they didn't have enough money, it was simple enough to just catch dinner. Trowa had even had his own mobile suit and could fight in it. He had been fighting in it since he had been a very young boy at the tender age of six. For four years, until he had been ten and met her, his life had revolved around the battlefield. Even after he had been about ten and gone into space to work on the Heavyarms', he had ended up back on the battlefield.

Of course, it was a complete fluke that he had been chosen to be sent to Earth in the Gundam. The real Trowa Barton had been killed by one of Dokter S's assistants while the boy with no name had been working nearby on the mechanical wonder. For some reason, the real Trowa had even doted on the clown.

Trowa Barton, Mariemaia's uncle, had been fond of him, often saying that the young man was like his little brother. He had told the boy who would later take his place much personal info. So much in fact, that the imposter Trowa could probably been able to keep the Barton family believing that their only son was alive.

He did not realize it but, he, the Trowa that we all know and love, was fingering the broken cross that hung around his neck. The cross that had been both a curse and a blessing. On one hand, it had saved his life. On the other, it was also a symbol of a betrayal that had cut deep into him though he had never allowed it to show.

"Hey, Tro, what's with that thing anyways? I never knew you were religious," Duo suddenly broke into his thoughts from across the table. "You always seem to have it though."

Trowa didn't answer, rather, let his fingers drop away from the thing like it had burnt him.

Heero coughed, which caused the other pilots to look at him. Anyone else would have though that there was no change in Trowa's facial expression, but to any one of the other four men, the look he sent towards Heero was one that said 'Thank you', if only for a few seconds. But the other pilots, well except Heero, did not notice the look on their friend's face.

At the other end of the table, Xin Xin yawned. Looking up at her mother, she asked when would they be going home. Meiran, in turn, locked eyes with Wufei, asking him the same question.

"We won't be going back to that house," Heero announced. "It will be watched."

"Then, what about my toys and stuff? And what about school and my friends?" Xin Xin asked, her small legs thumping against the seat.

"You'll have to go to a new school and you can make new friends," Quatre told her. "And, you can get new things."

She nodded, very swiftly. Meiran was watching her daughter, noticing tears were being held back. The young girl whispered something in her mother's ear, who nodded. Xin Xin slipped down under the table and headed towards area marked Bathrooms.

"How much longer will we be dragged around?" Meiran wondered aloud, very quietly, but enough so that every single one of the guys heard her clearly. She, somehow, managed to follow her daughter.

In the bathroom, Meiran found that Xin Xin had taken one of the stalls and was sniffling. The Chinese woman knocked lightly on the stall door. "Xin, open up, it's me."

After a few moments, the door opened and revealed a small girl appeared. Meiran picked up the child, who was only seven, and carried her over to the sink counter. She set the girl down there and moistened a paper towel. Using it to clean her daughter's face, Meiran couldn't answer the question her daughter wanted answered. She couldn't answer the question she so dearly wanted to know.

"Niáng, I don't wanna go anywhere else. I just wanna go to school and have friends and be normal," Xin Xin sniffled. "I wanna have a home again."

Meiran pulled her daughter close, hugging the girl. "I know, baby, I know," the young mother murmured to her daughter. "Even if we have to leave your die and uncles, I'll get us a home."

The young girl pulled back and looked her mother in the eyes. "Would I still get to see them?" She asked, eyes wide.

Meiran sighed. "Sometimes, but it may not be too often."

A knock on the door alerted the females to the fact that they were not there alone. Meiran looked at her daughter. "Are you ready to go back out there?"

"Yeah," came the girl's small voice. The taller, older female lifted her child and set the girl onto the ground. Xin Xin stuck close to her mother. Outside the door was her father.

But, let us rewind the clock a little to when Meiran had left the table after asking her question. The five men felt pangs of guilt at hearing those few words, but none more than one Wufei.

He had not noticed that ever since he and his wife had been reunited that they were in constant motion. The only real peace they'd had was when the group had been at the mansion while they'd been recovering from injuries.

The man had then left the table and headed towards the bathrooms. He stood outside the womens' room. On the other side of the door, he could hear Meiran comforting Xin Xin. Even more pangs of guilt hit him as he heard what his wife had had to say. But he also felt anger when he heard her say that they might leave him. That made him especially angry and guilty. Xin Xin was his daughter, too. She deserved peace, but he wanted to be there.

He'd only known the child for a short time but he had definitely grown attached to her. There was something about that little girl. He knew that if it were needed, he would give up his own life for her. That scared him.

He had been prepared to die in the war. He had come face to face with death several times. Even in Mariemaia's uprising, in his battle with Heero, death was always a possibility. As a Preventor, he had been in dangerous situations where he had looked death in the eyes.

But, that had been part of the mission, part of the job. This was something much more personal. And he did not feel comfortable with the fact that people who wanted to hurt him might end up hurting his girls.

Wufei blinked. Had he just called Meiran and Xin Xin his girls? When had that happened? True, the two were his wife and daughter, but still, calling them his girls, if even just in his head where no one else was privy to his thoughts, felt like a large step that he'd passed. Shaking his head as if to clear all the confusing thoughts, he knocked.

* * *

A/N: Oh my god. Is this an update? It is. That's two within a week. I'm on a roll! Woo hoo!

Okay, the last part, where it deals with Meiran and Xin Xin wondering when they'll get a home, well that just hit me on the bus this, that is Thursday, morning. I was wondering what I would do next when I suddenly realized that the two girls and everyone else had been pretty much on the move. The girls aren't used to moving around, whereas it doesn't bother the guys who are pretty much used to it.

I do not own anyone or thing that appears in this work of fanfiction except for the young girl named Xin Xin.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Depending on how you guys respond, there could only be a few chapters left of Past Meets Present. Now, don't worry. I have two options that I'm open to either way. The first is finishing out the story soon, with maybe three-four more chapters, and then starting on a sequel. The second is to just write out the possible sequel's events, but just jumping forward in time to when the sequel would start. Personally, I'm split, so that's why I need you guys to help. Past Meets Present is my baby. I love it, but the possible sequel's events, which are set almost a decade ahead, well, that would mean a serious time jump.

Besides, I have no idea what I would even call it. Past Meets Present was just the working title for this thing. I was going to change it, but it stuck. The explanation behind it is pretty obvious, at least to me. It's Wufei's past meeting his present. And now, I'm just rambling, so I'll let you go on ahead and read the fic.

Oh, and I only own Xin Xin, nothing else.

* * *

The Chang girls headed back to the table where the men were waiting. Xin Xin was looking around the place, not wanting to really look at the guys. Meiran felt the same. She didn't know what to say to them. She had decided in the bathroom, in just a matter of seconds, that when they arrived at their next destination, she would look for a home for her and Xin Xin. The two of them would stay behind and let the men go on with their lives.

It had been nice to live with them. She and her little girl who was not so little had enjoyed the nice times. Xin Xin had had someone to play with always. Meiran wasn't stressed about her daughter going uncared for while she had to work to make ends meet. They'd been a family.

But the life was also very instable. It was not the kind of environment that she wanted her daughter living in. It was too dangerous. Since they'd lived with the guys, they'd been in danger almost constantly.

Pushing a strand of black hair out of her face, she sighed, wondering how she would break it to the five ex-pilots. How she would break it to Wufei. She knew, without a doubt, he would take it the hardest. He may have only known Xin Xin for a short while, but Meiran could see it in his eyes when the little girl was near him. Who knew that Chang Wufei could be such a softie when it came to one little girl?

When the two were settled in back at the booth, Meiran took a drink from her cup and wondered how she would break the news to them. These guys, especially Quatre and Duo, she had really grown close to. And she couldn't imagine not having Wufei around. But she knew that she had to put her daughter's safety first and these guys, the way they lived, it bred danger. Not intentionally of course, but it followed the quintet.

She stared into the almost empty cup. Making up her mind to tell them now, right here, she picked up her cup and finished drinking the liquid in one gulp.

"We're staying behind," she announced.

Duo, who was in mid-bite, stopped. Quatre froze his hand in mid-air as he had been reaching for a napkin. Xin Xin looked down at her plate, picking at the food. Deep down, Meiran knew that her daughter had known.

The Chinese woman could not read the pilot's of Wing and Heavyarms. Those two, especially to the untrained like Meiran and the rest of the general population, would have extreme difficulty. Why, any normal person would say that her words had no effect on them whatsoever. Meiran hoped that they would miss the two of them, if just a little and in passing.

She did not turn to look at Wufei. She could not, for Meiran knew that if she did, her words would be invalid.

"What do you mean, staying behind?" Quatre recovered.

The Chinese woman looked her blonde friend in the eyes, replied, "Xin Xin and I are not going with you. We'll find a place to stay here in town, and I will get a job, and we will settle down here."

The group finished their meal and headed out to the vehicles. Meiran requested to be driven to a motel so that she and Xin Xin could have somewhere to stay until she found an apartment for the two of them.

"I'll miss you guys, we both will," Meiran said as they stood outside the two cars in front of the motel. All of the guys were out of the cars.

"Bye," Xin Xin told Heero, giving him a hug. "Thank you for saving me," she added softly. To everyone's surprise, the man returned the hug. "Be good for your parents," he quietly told her.

"Will do;" she nodded her head sharply. Xin Xin then headed to Quatre, who was the closest. He squatted down so that he was pretty level with her and embraced the girl.

"Good-bye Xin Xin. You are truly a wonderful girl," the blonde Arabian man told her. Xin Xin mumbled something.

A few feet away, Meiran was saying her good-byes as well, starting with Trowa, who just happened to be nearest to her. After him was Quatre, who she, unlike with Trowa, hugged.

"You're like another sister, Mei. I hope that everything works out for you and just remember, if you ever need any help," he let his voice trail on. Meiran nodded, even though she wouldn't rely on him unless she absolutely had to.

"Bye, Uncle Trowa," Xin Xin said to the man. "And remember," she told him as she hugged him, "speak up more." Trowa gave the girl a rare smile as he promised to obey her command.

"Good-bye Heero" was all Meiran had to say to the ex-pilot. It was not like she was trying to be rude or anything; it was just that she did not know him as well as she knew the others.

"Hey kiddo, don't be sad. Just think about it this way, you'll finally get some peace. No more running around with long hours stuck in vehicles and other boring places," Duo joked, as he picked up the small Chinese child named Xin Xin. He swung the girl around for a moment before settling her back down on the ground.

"And, now we can be pen pals," he grinned. "I can write to you about all the boring adventures I get to have and you can tell me about your exciting ones."

"Okay," Xin Xin smiled. Meiran headed towards them. "Hey, don't you forget to write to me, either," Duo ordered. Meiran looked at him puzzled for a moment until Xin Xin explained. As soon as she was done explaining to her mother, the girl headed towards the last person she had to say good-bye to.

"You realize that by doing this, you've made the whole thing much easier on her," Meiran told him. Duo nodded his braid bobbing.

"Yeah, I know," he replied, hugging the woman whom had become a close friend in a short time.

Xin Xin just stared at Wufei. She stepped closer, not sure of how to say good-bye. After all, the one thing she had wanted all her life was right here. And now she had to leave, or rather, stay behind while he left.

Wufei closed the gap that was between father and daughter. He squatted down; much like Quatre had and stared her in the eyes. Dark brown met dark brown, as the two were silent.

Two strong arms closed around the small girl's body as two thin arms tried to encircle the man's. Neither father nor daughter said a word during the whole exchange, not wanting to give the other up.

Daughter wanted father, a person she had wanted all her life. Father did not want to leave daughter; someone he had doubted would ever exist. Father did not want to say good-bye to daughter who had taken a hold of him deeply in a very short amount of time. Daughter wanted father so that her family would be complete.

Meiran coughed, coming over to the two. Xin Xin kept her eyes closed as she hugged and was hugged. Wufei opened his and looked at his wife.

Not knowing what to say, Meiran just stood there and watched as father and daughter tried not to break, quietly feeling as she was shattering herself in a place that could not be seen by the naked eye.


	28. Chapter 28

Meiran sighed, pushing a strand of black hair out of her face. The guys had left a week ago. And she missed them. She knew that Xin Xin was missing them too. Her little girl had spent the night they had left sitting by the front window of their room and staring out the window, watching for the five.

They had left one of the cars for her to use. Heero's car, or rather, the one that she had always seen Heero drive. It turned out that the car was actually Quatre's, as was the other one, Trowa's. She had been told that the car was hers to use for whatever. She was family and they couldn't leave her with nothing.

"I wonder where they're at," she mused, gazing out the window. She hadn't wanted them to leave. She hadn't wanted to leave them. But her daughter's safety came first.

She looked away from the window, knowing that it was foolish and stupid to daydream about them coming back. Especially Wufei. He was probably glad to get away from her, Meiran thought. And in time, he would probably get over Xin Xin as well. And life would go back to the way it was before they had found each other. Only Xin Xin wouldn't be sick this time.

She was eternally grateful for that. Every day since her daughter's mysterious sickness had disappeared, she had woken up without worrying if today would be the day that she would have to bid her only child good-bye. And now things would be easier on them, no matter what job Meiran got, for now there were no hospital bills to pay.

A memory surfaced from the recesses of her mind.

_Meiran was called and told of her daughter's condition._

"_I'm going now," she announced to the four men. "But, I need to be alone," she added as she left. Trudging through the sludge that was forming on the cold ground, she quickly made her way to the hospital. She already knew where to go and went there after checking in at the Nurses' station._

_Meiran saw the door to her daughter's room was open. Looking inside, she saw Wufei holding their daughter's hand. Quietly walking over to them, she found that he kept nodding off every few seconds, his head dropping and then jerking back up._

"_Hey," she announced her presence, putting one of her hands on his shoulder. He was startled but quickly covered it. Wufei turned to look her in the face._

"_I don't want her to die," he croaked out._

She sighed again, feeling guilty. "I think that's when I knew," she mumbled, though not continuing. Looking at the clock, she saw that she needed to leave immediately to go check out this apartment she had found. It was a little on the expensive side, but without the hospital bills; she should be able to afford it. And if she couldn't now, she could dip into the money that had been left to her by the guys. She didn't want to, but she knew that she would have to for a little while until she had a job and saved up a little. And when she was on her feet and no longer needed it, she would repay them. Her pride would allow for that, at least.

But to get a job, she needed a permanent residence. And a motel would not fly. Xin Xin also needed a permanent residence to go to school. Again, a motel would just not work.

"Hey, Xin Xin, it's time to go," Meiran said to her daughter. The young girl nodded her head and stood up. Meiran looked at her daughter, wincing slightly. The girl just had to look like him. She just had to take after her father. Like the separation was not hard enough to begin with. At least when she had thought him dead, she could remind herself that she could move on. But he was not dead.

And, she cared. She had grown to care for him. Maybe not love. Or maybe, it was love. But not the crazy-head-over-heels type. Maybe it was a deeper, subtler type. Or maybe she was just deluding herself.

Maybe she was just hoping that he would come driving up and stay with them. No, she was hoping. A fool, Meiran. You've become foolish, she told herself. Why, just a few months ago, you were doing perfectly fine. You were content with your life and your daughter. Now, you're miserable.

"But," she voiced out loud, to herself as she and Xin Xin walked out to their car. "We were happy with them. Happier than ever."

"Huh? What did you say, Niáng?" The girl who looked like her father asked. Her dark brown, almost black eyes, just like his, stared at her, almost like they were probing for an answer. If she had been her father, then they probably would have been probing. They probably would have found that answer, too.

"It's nothing, Xin Xin," Meiran said with a fake smile. She hoped that her daughter, who was incredibly perceptive, would not pick up on the fake that the smile was a fake. That she was faking it, the whole staying strong and not giving in to the weaknesses she had let herself attain. She could not let her daughter see that she was breaking.

After all, she was doing this all for her daughter. Right? Wasn't she? Or was she using Xin Xin as an excuse? An excuse to break away from Wufei, but then, why would she do that?

And then, the answer came to her.

She was afraid. Afraid to let him get too close. She was afraid that if she let him get any closer, that if something happened to him, her heart would shatter.

But wasn't she already shattering?

And when had she become so fragile? Where was the tough, strong Meiran who could handle a job and a sick daughter? Why had she allowed herself to become so reliant on the guys, so weak?

But then, what was weakness but allowing yourself to admit that you were not perfect? And she had known for a long time now that she was anything but perfect. So then, she had been weak all along, just not admitting it to herself.

So, had she made herself even weaker or just been suppressing her weakness for all this time? Or was it a combination of both?

* * *

A/N: I blame Ghost in the Shell: GIG for this chapter. Especially the episode with the tachikomas' and when they find out that their AI is in outer space. Prior to writing this, I rewatched the episode. And this is what happened.

We really got to see a clear look in Meiran's head, finally. I don't think I've done a whole chapter about one character and their thoughts yet. I could be wrong but I don't feel like checking right now.

I only own Xin Xin.


	29. Chapter 29

Wufei paced around the small office. It had been one week since he had split ways with his wife and child. Every second since he had regretted that decision. But, after a week, would Meiran let him into her and Xin Xin's lives so easily again?

He stopped in front of the window of the office and looked outside. It was a rainy day, something somber. It matched his mood, he thought to himself.

Deciding that he needed to take a walk, he left the room. Walking to the stairwell, he ran into a few other Preventors. He nodded in recognition, but did not say a word. The stairwell was dark and dank. It seemed quite out of place in a Preventor building. With a frown, he told himself to bring that up with the Lady.

The Chinese man left through the front lobby, walking outside. The rain did not seem to bother him like it did most. On the outside, he looked like everyone else. On the inside, he was a swirling mass of emotions that were confused.

It is my duty to stay with them, he said. But, his mind pointed out, it is also your duty to keep them safe. If you stay, you put them in danger.

But, another part of his mind argued, if he stayed away then who would protect them?

The first side agreed with that but added, even if you had stayed, could you have protected them from everything?

No, he answered, shaking his head. But it would be easier.

And then his mind asked a question that shocked him. Was he just making excuses because he was afraid to commit? He may have a job but he had also had a freedom that most would never have. A wife and daughter, no matter how understanding they were, would tie him down.

So, was he just letting them leave because he wanted things to be the same as they were before? No, he told himself, remembering how much it hurt to leave Xin Xin behind. He did not want to leave her. But at the same time, he knew that it was better for her to have a stable home.

Another point that he brought up as he walked along the street sidewalk was would he have left his friends if Meiran or Xin Xin had asked him to stay? Yes, he automatically told himself. But neither had. Which left him confused and hurt. He was confused because he had thought that they just might have voiced the question. But, no one had asked him to stay, which left him hurt because it seemed like they did not want him.

"You have woman problems," a man's voice called out as the Chinese man walked by. Wufei stopped and looked at him.

The man was an elderly gentleman. His hair was a scraggly gray, his face lined with years. His eyes were a pale color, or so Wufei thought until he noticed the man's blank eyes and found him blind.

"A woman close to you. A girlfriend perhaps?" The man suggested. Wufei frowned and started to walk away.

"Wait," the man called out. Wufei stopped, something telling him to do as the man directed. "You know what you should do, young man. Don't live your life full of regrets or you'll end up here like me."

Cocking his head to the side, Wufei decided to listen, curious as to what else this man would say. Before he could ask, the man launched into his story.

"I had a wife and two sons. My life revolved around those three. My Florence was an angel. My boys, Horace and Samuel, were two little demons as is to be expected of all young children. But my wife was killed in a firefight when the Alliance decided to crush the rebellion on our colony."

He paused, as if collecting his thoughts. He picked up something from beside him, which the Chinese man instantly recognized as some type of alcohol.

"Horace, the older of my two boys, and the one who took after me physically, tried his hardest to hold the family together since I picked out this," he picked up the bottle, "habit.

"But a young boy can not be expected to take care of an even younger boy. I couldn't even bear to look at Samuel. The boy looked just like Florence, with the exception of his eyes. Those were mine.

There was one day that I was wasted beyond the edge of reason. Horace took his little brother and left. And every day since, I've wondered what would have happened if only I had been a better father. I doubt that those two are even alive now. So much tragedy," the man said, shaking his head. "Here, it's a picture of my boys," he said, tossing a wallet to Wufei.

The Chinese man opened up the wallet and found the picture that the man must have been speaking about.

It featured two young boys, one about three, the other about six. The six year old had blond hair and light blue eyes. His younger brother, who was perched on his shoulders had light brown hair. His eyes were closed. But for some reason, the younger one looked familiar from somewhere.

Wufei handed back the wallet. He turned around, and started to walk away. "Remember," the man called after him, "no regrets!"

Wufei just kept walking, his mind slowly working out what the man's words had meant. "Live life with no regrets," he said to himself, the five words rolling around his head. He closed his eyes, turning his face to the sky. Rain soaked it and him, well more so than he had been soaked.

He found himself, seemingly moments later in front of the vehicle he was currently driving around. It had been provided by the Preventors.

The Chinese man, barely a man at that, got inside his vehicle, not caring that he was dripping all over the upholstery and would most likely be charged for the damages. He pulled out onto the street, making sure that traffic was clear.

The light was red. As was the next and any other light in the town. All of them turned to red the second he reached them. He growled into the steering wheel, getting frustrated. His personal connection to the guys, Sally, and the Lady chirped.

Since he was pretty much stuck, the situation becoming a traffic jam, Wufei pulled out his line and waited.

"Wuffers, where are you at? Une's calling for you," Duo's voice told him. He unconsciously frowned, Duo reminding him of something. Growling, the Chinese man fixed his name and scolded the man who was his friend with a braid.

"Don't bother me, Maxwell. There's something more important I need to do," the Chinese man replied, cutting the connection.

"What? Wufei!" Duo yelled at the man from miles away. The group that was in the room with him turned to look at the man.

Their leader, a woman with brown hair, spoke. "Is he coming?"

"Nope. Said he had something more important to do," the American man answered as he plopped down in a chair.

The traffic jam was making Wufei angry. He was ready to just walk away, get out of there on foot. Just as he was opening his door to do so, the situation alleviated itself. Driving almost twice the legal speed limit, he found the motel that they had left Meiran and Xin Xin at. Not seeing the car that they had left for Meiran and Xin Xin to use, he parked out front and went into the office.

"Hello sir, how can I be of help to you on this fine day?" The receptionist, a perky looking young woman with dark brown hair, asked.

"Yes, I'm looking for two people who were staying here. I want to know if they have checked out yet," he replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry sir but we can't give out information like that," she answered, looking back to her computer.

Wufei pulled out his badge that he had been given when he joined the Preventors. "Now will you tell me?"

She looked up and at the badge. "Oh, well yes. Now I can tell you. Whom are you looking for?"

"A woman and a child, both Chinese. Surname Chang," he answered with a military-like precision.

She typed the name Chang into the computer database. A few moments later, she pulled up a profile of two people. "Are these the two?" She asked, turning her computer screen. He nodded. She turned her screen back and typed something else in. "It appears that they checked out first thing this morning."

"Can you find out where they went?" He requested. She shook her head. "Sorry sir, but no forwarding address was left," she continued on.

Wufei left a few moments later. He got out to his car and just sat in it. "Now what do I do?" He asked himself, laying his head on top of the steering wheel.

* * *

A/N: I feel like crap you guys. I don't know if I'll get the next few chapters out for awhile. I think I may have to go to the hospital. My health is really shotty.Not to mention I'm goingfor my license in less than a week. By the way, I only own Xin Xin. 


	30. Chapter 30

Xin Xin rubbed her eyes as she stepped onto her bus. She sat in the first empty seat, right behind the bus driver. No one sat with her, as was to be expected with a new kid. The ride was short and when she got to the school, she went right to the office.

"Excuse me, but my name is Xin Xin Chang. It's my first day here," she told the office lady. The woman gave her a warm smile that helped the young Chinese girl feel a bit more comfortable.

"I have your information right here," the woman said, handing her a paper with her name on top. Underneath was a locker number, combination to said locker, a room number, and a teacher's name. "Do you need someone to show you the way?" The woman asked.

She shook her head no, adding, "Just point out the direction please. I can find it."

The woman kept on smiling. "It's just down that hall and your locker will be right by your classroom. The fourth room on the right, I believe."

Xin Xin nodded. "Thank you for your help, ma'am," she said, leaving. "It was no problem. If you ever need any help, don't hesitate to ask," the woman called after, adoring the young girl already. What a sweet girl, and so polite, the woman thought as she watched Xin Xin leave.

Xin Xin looked at the paper and saw that her locker was just a few feet ahead. It took her two tries but she was able to open it and put her coat inside. Remembering the office woman's words, she looked around to see just where her classroom was. It was just another feet ahead. Taking her notebook and a pencil out, she left her bag in her locker. She walked to the room and knocked, holding the paper in her hand.

A woman opened the door and looked down. "You must be Xin Xin. Come in, I'm Miss Vida," the woman said, smiling as she let the young girl pass to enter the room. "Class, this is Xin Xin Chang. She's a new student here at our school, so let's do our best to make her feel welcome."

"Hello," Xin Xin bowed her head, holding her notebook in front of her against her stomach.

"Why don't you go sit with that group over there," Miss Vida suggested, pointing out a group that had two girls and a boy, with an empty desk. "We were just about to go to music class, so just take a seat and wait."

Xin Xin sat down at the empty desk. She looked at the three kids. One of the girls had light blond hair and freckles. The other girl and the boy both had dark hair, the girl's was straight, and the boy's was curly. The girl had light blue eyes. The boy's eyes and the blond girl's eyes were both brown.

"I'm Marie;" the blond girl introduced herself. "That's Timmy, and she's Lys. So, you're like foreign, aren't you?"

"I was born on L2," Xin Xin replied, "but I moved to Earth when I was little."

"You lived in space?" Timmy asked, eyes widening. "That is so cool."

Xin Xin looked at the three and added, "I was too young to remember anything. But my uncle said that the Earth is beautiful from space."

"Oh. Well, it's still cool to that you were born in space," Timmy said, a little disappointed.

"It's time to go to music, class;" Miss Vida suddenly broke in. "Line up single file," she added.

"Xin Xin, stand with me," Marie tugged on the girl's arm. The Chinese girl allowed herself to be lead by the other girl and then found herself between Marie and a boy with bright red hair. "So, what do you like to do?" Marie asked.

Xin Xin shrugged, saying, "I don't know. I don't get to do much but read. I used to play with my Uncle Duo a lot but my Niáng and I left my uncles and Die."

"Niáng? Die? What do those words mean?" Marie asked. "What language are they from?"

"Niáng means mom and Die means daddy. They're Chinese, just like my name and me," Xin Xin said proudly.

"I knew you were foreign. I'm from here, but I think that people that are from different things are really cool. You have a history and cool holidays. Kids like me, well, we don't have much of a history or any cool holidays except Christmas and Halloween," Marie admitted. "Are you an only kid?"

"Yes," Xin Xin answered.

"Me too, but I have a lot of cousins. Like Timmy and Marco," the blond girl replied. "Marco?" Xin Xin repeated questioningly.

"Yeah, that guy right there," Marie said, pointing to a boy up towards the front of the line. "Do you have any cousins?"

"No. My uncles don't have any kids but my Uncle Duo acts like a kid a lot," Xin Xin told her new friend with a little giggle. "And my old home had a bunch of girls across the street so I had some kids to play with."

"That's cool," Marie said as they entered the room. The girls did not get put together and did not get to speak to each other. When they got back to their classroom, the class was kept busy until lunch with various things.

"Hey, Xin Xin, just sit here and I'll come back in a minute," Marie told her, pointing to a table. The blond had to go get her lunch from the line but Xin Xin had brought her own lunch. A few kids were already seated and Xin Xin sat somewhat near them. From her spot, Xin Xin could not see Marie but she could see Timmy and Lys. Timmy had sat down on the other side of the table with a bunch of the boys from their class. Lys was seated at their class's other table, directly across from Xin Xin so that she was staring at her.

Just then Marie sat down right across from Xin Xin so that instead of Lys, the Chinese girl was staring at Marie. A few more girls joined them.

"Girls, this is Xin Xin. Xin Xin, these are the girls," Marie began. She pointed first to a girl with short blond hair. "That's Britt." Next, Marie pointed to the girl on Xin Xin's right. The girl had dark brown hair that was almost perfectly straight. "And that's Megan. Next to her's Erin." Erin had light brown hair that was braided. The last girl Marie pointed to was another girl with light brown hair. "This is Ami."

"Hello," Xin Xin said quietly.

"Hey, so what do you think of this place so far?" Erin came out and asked.

"It's fun. I hope I can stay here for a long time," Xin Xin smiled. "So, what are you?" Erin wondered, showing that she was not a shy girl.

"She's Chinese, Erin," Marie answered for her. Xin Xin kept a smile on her face as she felt that she was really being accepted into this group of girls.

"So, do you have any brothers or sisters? What about cousins?" Erin kept on going.

"I don't have any brothers, sisters, or cousins," Xin Xin answered. "What about you?"

Erin's face lit up even more than it already was. "Oh no, now you've done it," Megan whispered in Xin Xin's ear. "She won't shut up now."

Xin Xin giggled and Megan joined her. "What are you two laughing about?" Ami spoke up and asked, breaking into Erin's tirade. The braided girl did not stop though, but just kept going on and on, which made the two girls giggled louder.

After the group of girls was done eating, they headed out to the playground with the rest of their class for recess. When they got outside, Marie and Megan ran off, leaving Xin Xin alone with Ami, Britt, and Erin.

"Where did they go?" She asked Britt, who was closest to her. "Just wait and see," she was told.

"Hey, Xin, you're It," Timmy came up and tagged the dark-haired girl. Xin Xin broke out a grin as she remembered the game that Diana had taught her. She looked around and noticed that the girls were running off. Xin Xin spotted Lys nearby and raced to the girl.

"Tag, you're It," she smiled. She was about to run off and hide when she caught the look on Lys's face. "What's wrong?" The new girl asked, not knowing the social dynamics of her new school since it was only the first day.

"I don't play games with little kids," sneered the girl. "Go bug someone else."

Xin Xin nodded slowly, backing away and then when she felt it was safe enough to run, she did so. A few minutes later, she found Ami and tagged the girl. As she was running to hide behind some bushes, she found that Britt was hiding there, too.

"Why is Lys so mean?" She decided to ask. Britt shrugged and whispered, "She's always been like that so we just leave her alone. I mean, she's scary."

Xin Xin nodded, having found that out just recently. Neither her nor Britt made a sound as Timmy, who was now It again ran by.

When she left the school to head to her bus, she was shocked to find her Niáng waiting. Not caring what the others thought, she headed to her Niáng and got in the car.

"So, how was your first day?" The young mother wondered as she drove towards their apartment. She was still dressed in her uniform for work. She was working as a restaurant hostess. Though this time the place was not a Chinese restaurant, but an Italian. Somehow, she had managed to get a dayshift position, so she ended up leaving a few minutes before Xin Xin's bus came and got off about ten minutes before her daughter got out of school. The woman who occupied the apartment next to them had a son in third grade so Meiran had been able to ask her to watch and make sure that Xin Xin got onto the bus. The woman had agreed so Meiran felt that things were finally turning out okay.

But both her and Xin Xin knew that something, or rather someone, was missing. Neither had said a word on the subject though as it was not an easy subject to speak of, nor was it a cheerful one. Of course, it would come out soon enough but until then they would let sleeping dragons lie.

* * *

A/N: Okay, I was seriously fevered and dehydrated in that last chapter kids, so pay no mind to what the A/N said. But I'm over that now. Well, ten chapters ago, all the way back in Chapter 20, I promised to bring back little kids. And I did. Only these kids seem to have much better speech than Diana, Chrissy, and their cousins. I have no clue why. That's just the way it worked out. This chapter also ended up being kind of long. I like that.

Not much left of this thing. Well, of this story anyways. There will be a sequel though for more information, you'll have to wait until the next chapter.

I own all the little kids. That includes Xin Xin, but the others, well, I'm working on that. But so far, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Hajime Yatate, and all the other Gundam creators have not answered my letters or calls.


	31. Chapter 31

Xin Xin laughed as she ran after Marie. She'd been in school for about a month now and was secure in her group of friends. She even had a "boyfriend". He was Marco, Marie and Timmy's cousin.

Ami was nearby, having a swinging contest with Britt. Megan, Erin, and Timmy were all running off as well. Xin Xin noticed that her blond friend was only a few feet ahead of her. She spurted and tagged the girl, racing off to the slide that was on the playground.

"Xin! Get back here!" Marie called out, laughing. The Chinese girl shook her head as she kept running. She ran into someone and fell down. "Sorry!" She called out, running off. She looked back and saw that she had run into Megan.

"I quit! Let's do something else!" Megan yelled as Marie tagged her. The group assembled in moments, or at least the girls did. The guys that were in their group had run off to continue the game without them.

"Hey, you know how it's my birthday next weekend, right?" Britt asked the other girls as they sat on the steps that lead into the school. A chorus of yes resounded through the group. "Well, my mom said that instead of having a party, I could take a few of my friends to the circus that'll be in town. And I want all of you guys to come," the girl told her friends.

"Cool," Ami said.

"No way! I love the circus! Thank you, Megs!" Erin cried out, getting up and dancing around which caused her friends to giggle. It never was quiet with that girl around.

"Niáng, Megan asked me to come to her birthday party next weekend," Xin Xin told her mother than night while they were washing dishes, or rather, Meiran washing and her daughter drying. "Or actually, her mom is going to take us to the circus," Xin Xin corrected herself. "We all show up at Megan's house and then her mom, who has a mini-van, will take us to the circus."

"I guess it would be all right," Meiran told her daughter. "But you'll have to get Megan a present, of course."

"I know, Mom," Xin Xin answered. Meiran stopped when she heard her daughter say that word. Her daughter had never called her anything but Niáng. It had filled Meiran with a sort of pride to hear her girl say the word. Mom made her feel, well, worthless. Meiran shook her head and finished washing the dishes.

A week passed and soon it was time for Xin Xin to go to the party. The Chinese woman dropped her daughter off and watched as the girl, so small for her age, entered the house of her friend. She could see another girl walking up to the house, too. Meiran left.

"Xin, you're just in time. Ami's right behind you, so we can open presents before we go," Erin assaulted the girl's ears as she walked into the doorway. Luckily for Xin Xin and unluckily for Ami, Erin jumped over to the other girl and informed her of the same news. Erin led the two girls' into the living room where Megan, Britt, and Marie were already seated, just waiting. In front of Megan were three presents and the two new girl's added theirs to the small pile.

"I love it!" Shrieked the birthday girl when she opened Xin Xin's present. The present was a small charm bracelet with letters spelling out Megan's name. "Thanks, Xin!" She said, giving her friend a hug. Soon, all the girls were pilling into Megan's mother's mini-van. Megan's father was staying home with the girl's four brothers, so it was truly a girls'-night-out.

"Oh, I can't wait to see the trapeze people!" Erin jabbered in the van. Her friends all kind of tuned her out, though they were just as excited. "Hey, Xin, what're you looking forward to see?" Erin asked, turning to the girl on her right.

"Umm, the clowns, or maybe the lions," she answered, thinking of her Uncle Trowa. "Did you know I actually got to pet a lion once?" She told her friends.

"What? No way!" Erin and a few others shrieked. "Yeah," Xin Xin nodded, "my Uncle Trowa worked for a circus and he was the lion-tamer."

"We're here girls," Megan's mother interrupted. The girls rushed to get out of the van. Megan's mother led them to the ticket booth and bought each girl a ticket and a treat to eat. She then led them to the bathrooms so that there would, hopefully, be no trips to the place during the show.

While Xin Xin and Marie were in the bathroom, two men, one with a long, brown braid and the other with short, blond hair walked by. "Hey, kids, I hope you have a good time tonight. There's going to be a special surprise. One of the old clowns is performing tonight;" the braided man called out. His friend jabbed him in the ribs, to which he responded with an 'ow' as the two walked off. When they were out of sight, which was within moments since the place was so crowded, the two girls came out of the bathroom and since they were the last, the group headed to the tent.

They took their seats; Megan seated between Marie and Britt; Erin, Ami, and Xin Xin sitting right behind them with Megan's mother next to Erin.

"Shh," the group turned to Erin just as the lights started to dim. The normally loud and talkative girl nodded and pretended to zip her lips and throw away the key.

The circus started. Around halfway through the performance, a knife-thrower was brought out and her target as well. When Xin Xin saw who the target was, she let out a small, involuntarily gasp. It was her Uncle Trowa. Not paying attention to her beloved uncle, she started to search the crowd in hopes of finding at the very least her Uncle Quatre. She failed though, the place to dark to make out most of the crowd. After the show, she searched desperately as they walked towards the mini-van.

"So, Trowa did you like being back up there?" She heard a very familiar voice say from behind. She whipped around and ran towards that voice. Her friends and Megan's mom all yelled after her but when she did not stop, they ended up following.

Two strong arms lifted the young girl up. "Well, what do we have here?" A familiar voice mused. She looked up and saw a face that she knew.

"Uncle Heero!" She cried, hugging him.

"Kiddo!" Another familiar voice called out as she was taken from Heero. The braided man swung her around once. "I'm waiting on a letter you know," he told her as he set her down.

"Sorry," she answered, hugging him as well. "I've been really busy with my new friends."

"So busy you've forgotten about me?" Duo asked, grabbing his chest and staggering. He hit Heero, who just looked at him like he was contaminated. Xin Xin giggled, absolutely eating up her uncle's antics.

She heard her friends arriving behind her. "You guys," she said, turning towards them, "these are my uncles."

Footsteps came from behind the group, steady and calm. Yet somehow, seeming like they were the most important thing of all. Xin Xin whipped around and stopped.

"Die," she whispered, taking off. She threw herself into his arms and was caught in his safe embrace.

"I've finally found you," he whispered in her ear. "I've been searching for you and your Niáng all this time and now, I've finally found you."

"Err, you may as well just leave her here. Fei'll take her home," Duo told the adult woman with the girls.

"Are they related?" One of the girls, a child with light brown hair in pigtails, asked.

He smiled, and answered, "Yeah. And this is the first time that they've seen each other in about a month." He paused and then added, "We'll take care of her. You guys can just head home. I mean, there's no way that you'll be able to separate 'Fei and Xin Xin for a while."

"Don't worry about her mother, I'll give Mei a call," the blond man offered. Megan's mother, at a loss because there was not a whole lot she could do, just shrugged and left, taking the other girls with her.

"Die, will you come home and live with me and Niáng?" Xin Xin whispered. "I want you. And Niáng misses you, even if she won't say it."

Wufei closed his eyes. He had wanted to hear those words. Those were the words that he'd been waiting forever since Meiran had announced that she was going to settle down. But he knew that no matter how much he wanted to go with his daughter, it would be up to Meiran if he would stay or go now. His fate lie in the hands of a woman who spent most of her time confusing him, though unintentionally.

"It's not up to me anymore," he told her. "It's up to your Niáng now."

Xin Xin broke away and stood back. She looked at him, a defiant look in her eyes. "She will let you. I just know. Just like when everyone thought you were dead but me. I know she'll say yes," the young girl told him.

"Xin Xin, I'm going to take you home. Tell me your address," Wufei replied. Xin Xin answered; following him to a car that she was told was his. The girl curled up in the backseat somehow managed to lie down while being seat belted.

* * *

A/N: Only one chapter left. And then, the sequel. Though I have no idea what to call it. Here's the very basic plot, or at least part of it. Xin Xin is 14/15 and her class learns about the events that changed the world. This leads her to question her family and the events of the past.

After that, I have just a basic idea. Honestly, about 95 of my stories are made up as I go. But I have no idea what the title should be. And I want a title before I start. If you guys have any ideas, they will appreciated.

So, I own Xin Xin and her friends. The other stuff, not mine. And never will be mine, unfortunately.


	32. Chapter 32

Wufei looked back at Xin Xin, who had fallen asleep in the backseat. He picked her up and out, finding the task easy because the girl weighed almost nothing. He took her up to her apartment. It took several minutes for him to gather the courage to knock.

Meiran set down the phone. She had just received a call from Quatre telling her that her husband was on his way with their daughter. Sighing, she wondered how long it would take for them to arrive. She did not know if Wufei would take a longer route or not just to spend a few extra minutes with Xin Xin.  
She would not blame him if he did.

Someone knocked on the door. Meiran stood up and walked over to the door of her apartment, wondering if it was Wufei already. She opened the door and found him standing there, Xin Xin in his arms.

"Come in," she said quietly. "Her room is this way," she continued, leading him to the young girl's bedroom.

From the doorway of the room, the Chinese woman watched her husband lay their daughter down on her bed and pull the covers over her small, fragile-looking body. He turned and just stood there, almost like he was daring her.

"Do you want something to drink?" She asked, keeping her voice quiet so as not to disturb her slumbering daughter.

"Yes," Wufei heard himself answer the question that Meiran had asked. He followed her out of the room and into the kitchen of the apartment. A small table sat against one wall, appliances and counters pretty much covering the rest of the room's wall space. He took one of the seats at the table, watching her.

"How have you been?" She asked while her back was turned. He did not answer immediately and Meiran brought over two cups. She set one down in front of him, taking the other seat for herself.

"Do you want the truth or a lie?" He finally answered Meiran.

"Give me the truth," she requested, unable to keep a little smile off of her face. Wufei sighed, and then began, "To be honest; this has been the worst month of my life."

"What do you mean?" The other person wondered.

"Well, I have been searching for you two for this past month and found nothing," he continued. "It was a fluke, what happened tonight."

"Hmm, not a fluke. Fate," Meiran replied.

"You believe in fate?" Wufei mused. "The great Nataku?"

"Humph, I haven't been called Nataku in a long time," Meiran laughed lightly. "It's strange to hear someone say it."

"I called my Gundam Nataku, both of them," he answered. "Yeah," she broke in, "I was told that a long time ago. But I never learned why."

"In your honor. I thought you had died to protect my suit and myself and believed for a very long time that your soul resided in it."

"Wha?" Meiran wondered, not quite sure what she was hearing. "You're serious, aren't you?" She asked, after looking at him for a few minutes. Wufei did not answer, but rather looked straight at her.

She kept her eyes trained on his, knowing full well that if she turned away, it would be disrespectful to not only him, but to Xin Xin, and everyone else, both dead and alive. "I am honored to know this," she finally told him. They finished their drinks and Meiran asked if he would follow her. Wufei did, and so, they went to the living room area of the apartment.

She sat down on the couch like she had been sitting earlier. Seeing as there were no other spots to sit, Wufei sat beside her since she had taken the middle seat.

Taking a risk, Meiran leaned against her husband, using him as kind of a giant pillow. He did not speak, but he did move his arm around her. She let out a breath that she had not known she had been holding.

"You're staying, right?" She asked, her voice showing just how unsure she was.

Wufei looked down at her. Her face and eyes had been screaming that question since he had arrived with Xin Xin. "Only," he began, "only if I am wanted here by everyone."

"Then, you are staying," she replied, a tone of finality in her voice. "That's good," she murmured. "Your family missed you."

A small, very small almost miniscule, smile flitted across Wufei's face. His family, she had just said that her and Xin Xin were his family. And they were all the legal documents and DNA made it so, but that meant nothing when compared next to Meiran's words.

"It," he paused, not sure on just how she would react, "it is good to be home."

"And it's good to have you home," Meiran murmured sleepily. A few minutes later, Wufei found that she had fallen asleep.

"Again? Am I just boring or something?" He asked himself. As Meiran was nowhere near as light as Xin Xin was, he decided to leave her on the couch. However, when he went to stand, he realized that his wife's sleeping body was keeping him pinned to his current location.

The littlest Chang stretched and yawned when she woke up. Her stomach rumbling, she wondered if Niáng was up and had started to make breakfast. When she passed through the living room, she stopped.

On the couch were Niáng and Die. Niáng was leaning against Die, who had his head on top of Niáng's. The young girl smiled, knowingly. She knew, a long time ago, that Niáng and Die would be together. It just took the two of them a long time.

The girl went on to the kitchen area and opened the refrigerator door. She looked up and down and all around. Finding nothing that struck her interest, she closed the door and took one of the chairs from the table. Dragging it over to the cabinet, she opened the thing up and looked for something to eat.

When she found nothing, she sat on the counter and sighed. "I wish that one of them would wake up," she murmured, brushing a lock of black hair behind her ear.

Hearing footsteps a little bit later, she looked up. It was both Niáng and Die, looking very sleepy and not at all awake. She just sat there, watching them and how neither of them seemed to notice her sitting on the counter. It was hard to keep from giggling when Die hit his foot on the table and did not seem to notice.

Finally, it was Niáng that noticed her when she, that is Niáng, went to look in the cabinet that Xin Xin was perched in front of. Xin Xin could not help but laugh when her mother jumped back, startled by the young girl. The noise and action drew the male Chang's attention. He just seemed to watch the two of them for a moment before looking away to his coffee mug.

"We're a family now, right?" She prompted a little bit later when the three of them sat down to eat. She looked to her parents, who were sitting next to each other. They exchanged a glance before nodding at the same time.

The young girl sprang up and cheered. She stopped in mid-dance though and looked at her parents. "We aren't moving, are we? I mean, we are goin' to stay here, right?"

"Of course, Xin Xin," both adults answered at the same time.

"Woohoo!" The black haired girl whooped.

* * *

Meiran sat on the picnic table at the park. Xin Xin was playing with her friends. The girls were chasing down the boys, proving to be quite hilarious. Nearby, she could see the guys. Heero was sitting beneath a tree, almost looking like he was asleep. If it had not been for just the tiniest of slits that showed Prussian blue, she would have thought that he was dozing off.

It was still hard to believe that he was the bastard child of the Japanese empress and her lover, a man named Odin Lowe. The woman was so enraged about him that she had ordered his death. That had been what the last adventure had been, when they had been forced to hide in the safe room. The empress's assassins had been ordered to do anything and everything to eliminate Heero.

Of course, they would never have found any of that information out if it had not been for a woman who had vanished. Apparently, she had met Duo and when she went home, had heard about people out to kill someone who sounded like a boy she had known and betrayed long ago.

She had sent a letter to Trowa, the full contents of which he had never spoken off, just the information about the assassins. He would not speak on the subject of the girl, who Meiran and the others later learned was named Midii Une from Duo.

Speaking of Duo, Meiran smiled, the man was currently helping set out the food on one of the other tables.  
Quatre was doing the same, both chatting happily about something or other. She watched Duo through his arm over the blond man's shoulders and laugh. The look on her Arab friend's face was one that made Meiran want to laugh. Quatre had a goofy, spaced out grin on his face.

Of course, that could have been due to the fact that he and Trowa had started to adopt a young boy. The boy was a newborn whose mother had not wanted him, saying that the boy looked like his father. Apparently, the father of the boy had dumped the child's mother, saying that he did not want or like kids.

Her gaze now fell on Trowa, who was talking to Wufei. The two were standing over the grill, which was busy cooking hot dogs. It had seemed like lately the two men were speaking with each other more than they used to. She had no clue why but figured that it probably had something to do with Trowa and Quatre adopting.

Even if Wufei had not been around when Xin Xin was little, he still was going to get to experience what it was like. Her hand rested briefly on her abdomen. She had yet to tell anyone yet but she figured that she would later on, during her daughter's birthday party. The woman sighed, was her daughter really nine already?

A car pulled up, the driver honking the horn. The person opened the car door and popped her head out. The German woman started walking over towards Meiran, who was now taking a drink from her glass of water. Hilde plopped down next to Meiran after dropping her present for Xin Xin off at the other end of the table. The two talked for a bit until Wufei announced that the hot dogs were done.

Those few words brought an avalanche of partygoers over. Taking her spot at the head of the table, Xin Xin's eyes were open and eager. The cake was brought out first. Nine candles adorned the top of it. After the mandatory song and opening of presents, the children ran off to play some more.

Meiran knew that someone had sat down beside her. Using her peripheral vision, she saw that it was her husband. "Nine years old," he sighed. "It's been only about two years though," he added.

"Yeah," Meiran answered, trying to figure out just how she wanted to tell him her news. "Wufei," she began her voice hesitant.

"Hmm?" Was his reply. She noticed that he had his head cocked to the side so that he was looking at her. Meiran turned to face him. "Well?" He prompted.

"Well, I have something really important to tell you," she answered, still trying to figure out just what to say.

Her hands were one step ahead of her brain, however, as she reached out and grabbed his hands. She then placed them on top of her abdomen.

The look he gave her was one of confusion. At least, it was one for a few moments before the gears in his head started to turn and click into place. She watched the look of confusion just melt right off of his face and be replaced by one that held a mixture of joy and hope.

"You're?" Was all he could manage to ask. Meiran nodded her head, a small smile gracing her face. "How far along?" Wufei asked next, when he had recovered, that is.

"About two and a half months," Meiran answered, noticing that she was still holding his hands.

"Hey, you two look awful lovey dovey!" Duo's voice called out.

"If it weren't my daughter's birthday, I would not even acknowledge you, Maxwell," Wufei answered back, the American coming closer. But Duo's comment had gathered the attention of the other adults. Xin Xin, always aware of what was going on around her, looked over at the picnic tables.

"Xin Xin, come here. I have some big news to tell you!" Meiran yelled at her daughter, who came running towards her.

"What is it, Niáng?" She wondered, standing beside the table, keeping an eye on her friends.

"Well everyone, I am pregnant," Meiran announced. She trained her eyes on Xin Xin, whose eyes widened in shock.

"I'm gonna be a big sister?" She asked, her face showing her shock. "Woohoo! I'll be like Timmy and be the oldest and have someone to boss around! I gotta go tell my friends!" And with that, the birthday girl was gone.

A round of congratulations went around the group to the couple. "Hey, I want pictures," Duo said, pulling out a camera. "Hey, will one of you girls take a picture of the five of us?" He requested.

Hilde took the camera from him. The five men sat down together in a group. Trowa leaned against a tree; an arm slung over Quatre's, who had sat down beside him. Heero was seated next to the couple. In the front, Duo sat beside his male Chinese friend.

After that picture, Duo took one of Quatre and Trowa. Xin Xin and the other kids had insisted on him taking a few of them. The man then decided that he wanted a Chang family picture.

Seeing that he had only two pictures left on his camera, Duo decided that one would be a big picture that would have him, the other pilots, and the girls.

A random woman was stopped and asked. As she was just out for a stroll, the woman obliged.

Seated in the very front were the girls. Hilde sat to the left of Meiran, and Xin Xin to the right of her mother. Wufei had his hands on his wife and daughter's shoulders. Heero stood beside him, with Duo on the Euro-Japanese man's other side. In the very back, the couple of Sandrock's pilot and Heavyarms' pilot were standing together.

At the end of the day, Duo had just one picture left in his camera. All the kids had left, as had Heero and Hilde. Quatre, Trowa, and himself, not to mention the Changs, were all getting ready to leave as well. As he walked to his vehicle, the American stopped.

He spied Mei and Wufei standing together. They were speaking quietly to each other when he saw his friend embrace his other friend. But what was even better was when he saw the two kiss.

A flash went off, followed by a click. Years later, this would be a day that would be remembered as a day that no one would ever forget.

* * *

A/N: And now, the sequel. I like a few of the titles people have suggested, so I'll have fun choosing which one.

So, the ending. I think that I'll talk more about that in the AN of the sequel. That thing may not come out right away though. I have this idea for a short fic I want to do at the same time. The short fic won't really be short, but it won't take long to write because it's based off of a play, so I've already got the script to work from. I won't give away any details right at this minute because I want you guys to be surprised. It's quite a bit different from what I normally write, but then, so was this thing. I suggest that you read it though.

Oh, and I've created a Gundam Wing Wordsearch. There's a few things I need to fix, but it should be up for print on my website within the next two or three days. It is really hard, just so you guys know. Like, I created it and I keep messing up.

Until next time, and here's something I won't have to say for a long time: I own only Xin Xin, and that's all.


End file.
